Jane Muthoni, the former principal of Icaciri Secondary School in Kiambu, will have to wait a little longer to know her fate over the murder of her husband Solomon Mwangi Mbuthi.
Muthoni, who was found guilty of murder alongside her co-accused Isaac Ng’ang’a last month, was to be sentenced on Tuesday, May 18.
The convicts were following the court proceedings from different locations on Tuesday when the presiding judge postponed their sentencing to next month.
Push for Death Sentence
During the final submissions in court, the prosecution sought a death sentence for the pair, arguing it would translate to justice done after a five-year trial.
“This is a case that meets the threshold of a death penalty,” said State Prosecutor Catherine Mwaniki.
“We are looking at the seriousness of the acts that led to Solomon Mwangi’s death. In our conclusion, we pray that this court finds that the element of the statutory premeditation was satisfied in this case,” she added.
Lawyer Wokabi Mathenge, who represented Solomon Mwangi’s family in the case, backed the Prosecution’s recommendation, terming Mwangi’s killing as “murder most foul”.
“He was defenseless while being killed,” said Mathenge, adding that Jane Muthoni did not express any remorse over Mwangi’s murder.
“The first accused (Muthoni), being a teacher, was expected to impart ethics to learners. In this case, she was the mastermind of her husband’s death. She, therefore, conducted herself in a manner not expected of a person of her stature,” said Mathenge.
“We urge the court to find that a death sentence will suffice. Mwangi’s death was premeditated and well-planned.”
Daughter’s Plea for Leniency
The court also heard from the daughter of the slain Kiru School principal and the first accused. Ms June Mbuthi pleaded with the court to show leniency to her mother in its sentencing.
She asked the court to consider the plight of her siblings saying the four of them have suffered both as victims whose father was murdered and as children of the first accused.
June urged High Court judge Joel Ngugi to consider the financial, emotional and psychological torture they’ve endured over the five years their mother was in remand.
“We do not have anyone we can rely on for our family needs. We have been depending on our relatives and it has been so tough. We have school fees arrears and also crave for parental love,” said the final-year student at the University of Nairobi.
‘Real Killers Still Roaming Free’
Meanwhile, Jane Muthoni maintained her innocence in her submission, saying her husband’s killers were roaming free.
“I’m the only hope and surviving breadwinner in my family. It is my prayer that the court considers the fact that my family and I have gone through a traumatic experience since 2016 amid threats and attempted assault on my daughter. My children have continued to suffer yet the people who committed these crimes are out there walking free and celebrating the fruits of injustice,” said Muthoni.
The second accused and convicted Isaac Ng’ang’a, alias Gikuyu, on his part pleaded for leniency saying he has been absent in the lives of his children for the five years the case has been in court.
The accused’s lawyer, Francis Njanja, opposed a death sentence saying the two have cooperated with the courts thus far.
Njanja maintained that even though the courts found the pair guilty of murder, they were “still innocent”.
Justice Ngugi said he would deliver his sentence ruling on Thursday, June 3 after considering the submissions of all parties.
