26-year-old woman to die for brutally killing best friend

A 26-year-old woman was on Tuesday sentenced to death by Kajiado High Court after she was found guilty of killing her female best friend.

While issuing his verdict on Tuesday, August 15, Judge Reuben Nyakundi said the prosecution had proven beyond any reasonable doubt that Redemta Nthenya killed Teresia Wachuka, 25, in November, 2015.

The court heard that Nthenya killed Wachuka after Wachuka demanded to be refunded Ksh 25,000 that the accused had stolen from Wachuka via a mobile money transfer service.

Wachuka had reported the theft to the police.

Nthenya would agree to an out of court settlement – and even set a date and venue, where she was to refund Wachuka her money.

On the material day, Nthenya strangled Wachuka to death before stuffing her body in a gunia (plastic bag) and dumping it in a sewage pit of a rental house in Ongata Rongai.

Wachuka had, before meeting the accused, informed her boyfriend that she was going to get her refund from Nthenya.

Wachuka’s body was discovered two months after the incident.

Nthenya, who feigned making the discovery, would later report to police attached to Ongata Rongai post that Wachuka had attempted to terminate a pregnancy.

When Wachuka’s autopsy was conducted a few days later, it emerged that she was not pregnant. The postmortem revealed that Wachuka had been strangled.

Wachuka’s mother, who was present in court when the verdict was being issued, said she was glad justice has been served.

She has 14 days to appeal.