They once embraced each other with the promise of a lifetime together, their hearts filled with dreams of growing old side by side.
Their love even took them to Dubai, where they celebrated what they believed would be a beautiful journey together.
But what began as a romance filled with affection, hope, and grand dreams has ended in heartbreak and prison.
Banker Hannington Muthoka has now begun serving a 10-year prison sentence, marking a dramatic turn in the love story he once shared with teacher Elizabeth Shigari Bana.
While delivering the sentence, Mombasa Senior Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo said: “Having considered the pre-sentence report and the victim impact statement and the affidavit filed for the complainant, I hereby sentence the accused person to ten years in prison from the date of the judgment.”
The events that led to the dramatic turn in their relationship date back to September 25, 2023, when what began as a day of shopping, food, and drinks in Mombasa ended in a violent confrontation that nearly cost Bana her life.
Muthoka had picked her up, and the two spent time in Nyali before heading to a club in Bamburi, where they ate, drank and reminisced about their relationship.
According to Bana, Muthoka hoped they would rekindle their romance, after going through a rough patch, but she was not ready to get back together.
Their differences became more pronounced as the day wore on. After leaving the club, they stopped at chemists along Links Road before Muthoka drove towards Port Reitz instead of taking her home to Mikindani, as she had requested.
When he later asked to have sex with her, she declined. What followed was a confrontation that ended with Bana fleeing for her life.
She told the court that she managed to get out of the vehicle and started walking away, but Muthoka followed her. She escaped his grip and began running while screaming for help.
A picture of the Mombasa Law Courts| Pool
Photo credit: Pool
He caught up with her, knocked her to the ground and fled as people approached. It was only then that she realised she had been stabbed three times and that a knife was lodged in her chest.
Her injuries were severe. She was first rushed to Port Reitz Hospital while still conscious before being transferred to Aga Khan Hospital, where surgeons removed the knife.
The blade had penetrated her lung, leaving it lacerated and partially collapsed. She spent several days in hospital, including time in the intensive care unit, and needed about two months to regain her ability to walk normally.
The prosecution presented medical and forensic evidence to support her account. A clinical officer and a cardiovascular surgeon described the extent of her injuries, while DNA analysis linked blood recovered from the scene, clothing and the knife to Bana.
Muthoka, however, disputed her account. He maintained that their relationship was still intact and that they had travelled to Dubai together in April 2023 with plans to get married.
He told the court that the confrontation began when Bana picked up a knife from her shopping and that she injured herself as he tried to disarm her.
He denied intending to kill her, saying he fled because he feared an attack from people who had gathered after she screamed. He also claimed that he later went to a police station to report the incident.
The court, however, found his explanation unconvincing. In convicting him of attempted murder, the magistrate held that the nature and severity of the injuries, together with the circumstances of the attack, demonstrated an intention to kill.
The court also established that the relationship had continued beyond 2021, contrary to Bana's account that it had ended earlier. Romantic photographs and flirtatious messages exchanged shortly before the incident supported Muthoka's position on the duration of the relationship.
Shimo la Tewa Prison in Mombasa County.
Photo credit: File | Nation
The magistrate, however, found that this discrepancy did not undermine the prosecution's case.
There had also been an earlier incident of violence. Bana told the court that Muthoka assaulted her in 2022 after their relationship ran into difficulties. She reported the matter to the police but later forgave him.
Despite the subsequent legal proceedings, efforts to resolve their differences out-of-court continued, although they ultimately came to nothing.
In his mitigation, Muthoka presented a pre-sentence report detailing his family circumstances, including the distress his imprisonment had caused his terminally ill mother.
Bana, however, challenged the report's recommendation for a lenient sentence. In an affidavit, she opposed any reduced or non-custodial punishment that, in her view, would fail to reflect the gravity of the offence and the suffering she had endured.
She urged the court to impose the maximum lawful sentence, saying the attack had put her life at risk and left her with physical pain, lasting limitations and psychological trauma. She also described the difficult journey of rebuilding her life after the incident.
On compensation, Bana disclosed that Muthoka's lawyer had approached her legal representative to explore the possibility of an out-of-court settlement. However, no specific amount was proposed or agreed upon, and the discussions did not result in a settlement.
Last week, Muthoka was taken to Shimo La Tewa Maximum Security Prison to begin serving his sentence. Unless the conviction or sentence is overturned on appeal, he will spend the next decade behind bars, bringing a painful chapter in their relationship to a close.
