An 18-year-old Ugandan national, who confessed to murdering her six-month-old baby boy before an Eldoret court, has been convicted.
The convict admitted to brutally killing the child in an attempt to relieve herself from the responsibility of caring for him.
The teen mother, coded B M, stunned the packed court when devoid of any hint of remorse, she articulated her motives for committing infanticide.
She caused a commotion in the courtroom when, given an opportunity to defend herself before her sentencing, she stated that she felt compelled to end her son’s life due to overwhelming stress, frustration, and agony. She explained that she wanted to alleviate the burden of caring for the baby alone after the man responsible allegedly neglected his duties.
B M recounted the grim details of how she strangled her son, then wrapped his body in a gunny bag before disposing of it in a shallow well in broad daylight.
“I indeed killed my son who was by then aged six months, wrapped his body in a gunny bag, and then dumped it in a well as I was unable to take care of the deceased on my own,” she told the court.
After committing the offense, she disclosed that she went into hiding for three days to avoid arrest by the police, who were alerted to the incident by locals.
She subsequently surrendered herself at the police station and confessed to the disappearance and killing of her son. She was apprehended and later brought before the court to face charges of murder.
The accused stood accused of killing her son, Junior Nesero Butsetse, on October 28, 2023, in the Kabogo area of Kapseret sub-county, Uasin Gishu County.
Represented by Lawyer Robert Makori, she pleaded with the court to consider a non-custodial sentence in the event she was found guilty of the murder charge, citing the need for medical treatment to address the trauma she experienced following the horrific incident.
However, the judge rejected the plea and sentenced her to six years in prison without the option of a fine after she pleaded guilty to the charges.
