Ruth Kamande is a 24-year-old woman found guilty for killing her boyfriend and has been sentenced to death. She murdered her boyfriend using a kitchen knife in September 2015. Based on submissions made in court, Kamande stabbed Farid Mohammed over twenty times following a domestic dispute started by a revelation that he had been taking HIV suppressing drugs without her knowledge.
Through her Lawyer Joynor Okonjo, Ms Kamande told judge Jessie Lessit that she was the only source of hope for her ageing mother and that her experience in prison for the past two years had reformed her and made her a better person.
Her lawyer Joyner Okonjo said Ruth is now a devout Muslim and has been attending a course in theology for the past one year adding that her client engaged in various activities at the Lang’ata Women Prison, which led to her crowning as Miss Lang’ata beauty in 2016.
The lawyer insisted that for one to get such a title factors such as discipline, cooperation with the authorities and commitment to reform are considered.
Begging for leniency, Ms Okonjo listed some of Ruth’s achievements: acquiring of five certificates, participating in modelling, dancing, poetry and scriptwriting.
But State Counsel Evelyn Wanunga said Ruth is not penitent, and should therefore be handed the death sentence so that it can be a deterrence.