Moses Dola handed 10 years in jail for killing Wambui Kabiru
What you need to know:
On October 5, High Court judge Roseline Korir found Dola guilty of manslaughter.
- The accused denied committing murder in the trial that began about seven years ago
Moses Dola, the journalist who was convicted of manslaughter following the death of his wife, former NTV reporter Sarah Wambui Kabiru, has been handed 10 years in prison.
High Court judge Roseline Korir handed down the sentence on Thursday at the Milimani Law Courts in the capital Nairobi.
JOBLESSNESS
The judge ruled that even though Mr Dola was found to be remorseful and failed to secure a job since the trial started, it would be improper to set him free.
The judge also pointed out the murder trial was punctuated by free flow of information between relatives of both parties who even wept during trial and provisions in the law allow for the need to deploy reconciliation.
Moses Dola (in handcuffs) arrives at the High Court in Milimani for sentencing on November 29, 2018. PHOTO | RICHARD MUNGUTI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
"I agree with his grief on joblessness. However, this would not be a proper reason not to punish him for the murder since there are a vast of other jobless people in the country," said Justice Korir.
She added: "I am convinced that a custodial sentence is good enough and I hereby sentence him to ten years in prison."
Dola chats with a relative as he awaits sentencing on November 29, 2018. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
On October 5, judge Roseline Korir found Dola guilty of manslaughter and ordered the cancellation of his bond terms.
DECISION
The judge also directed that he be held at the Nairobi Industrial Area Prison while awaiting his sentence.
“I am not sure he intended to kill her, the court is prepared to give him the benefit of doubt,” Justice Korir ruled.
Dola waits pensively for sentencing on November 29, 2018. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The judge ordered for a pre-sentencing report, saying that it would not interfere with her decision on the sentence she was going to hand him.
The accused, who is being represented by lawyer Cliff Ombeta, denied committing murder in the trial that began about seven years ago.
Ms Kabiru was killed on May 1, 2011 at the couple’s house in Nairobi’s Umoja estate.
Thoughts took a toll on Dola as he waited for his sentence. PHOTO | RICHARD MUNGUTI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Her lifeless body was found in their locked bedroom carefully tucked in bed.
DEAD WIFE
On the fateful day, the accused allegedly left his dead wife in their house and went on a drinking spree while pretending that all was well.
It is the deceased’s brother and neighbours who later found her dead body in the locked bedroom of their house while Mr Dola allegedly went into hiding for a few days before surrendering himself to the police in Naivasha.
Dola reacts after he was handed the sentence on November 29, 2018. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NATION MEDIA
The couple’s househelp told court that the deceased would usually hand the baby to her in the morning but, on that fateful day, Dola was the one who did it.
In his defence, Dola told court that the deceased attacked him with a pair of scissors and a struggle ensued, during which his wife fell down and hit her head.
