A Ugandan woman who allegedly killed her employer together with her child in Muhoroni in Kisumu County in June has been charged with murder.
Jackline Auma appeared at the Kisumu law courts Wednesday to answer to charges of murdering Elizabeth Achieng’, 26, and her son Leonne Benedict Okoth, 3.
Dressed in a purple checkered shirt and a pink jumper, Ms Auma appeared before High Court Judge Fred Ochieng’ and pleaded not guilty.
She took the plea after she underwent a mental assessment and was found fit for trial.
The hearing was delayed when Ms Auma requested for the proceedings to continue in Kiganda. She claimed she can neither understand English nor Kiswahili. The accused, however, agreed to take a plea in Kiswahili after her lawyer’s intervention.
Through her Lawyer Joy Ayieta, the suspect requested for bail, but the judge declined.
“You have a history of fleeing the country and that is a compelling reason not to be given bond,” ruled the judge.
The judge further ordered the prosecution to provide the suspect’s defense team with all copies of the case documents for the hearing that will commence on November 6.
The accused will be remanded at Kodiaga Women’s Prison where she has been since September 17, 2018, after her extradition by the Uganda police.
Ms Auma is accused of stabbing Achieng’ to death and strangling her son in Shauri Yako estate.
Ms Achieng’s body had several knife wounds on the chest and burns on the left side of her body which her husband, Evans Otieno, said was inflicted by a hot iron box that was found beside her body.
The househelp had lived with the family for only one month.
