Congolese man sentenced to 40 years in prison for murdering his Kenyan lawyer girlfriend

A 41-year-old Congolese man has been handed a 40-year prison sentence for killing his Kenyan lawyer girlfriend in 2021.

Christian Baldei Kadima, alias Erick Kambaye Katalayi, who was sentenced by High Court Judge Francis Olel, reportedly committed the offence on the night of January 7, 2021, killing his girlfriend, Elizabeth Koki Musyoki, 34, in cold blood.

The court heard that the couple, who were engaged and planning to get married, had a falling out on the night of the incident.

Witness accounts from Koki's househelp, Grace Ndanu, pointed to a commotion between the pair in their bedroom on the fateful night, before the suspect stormed out of the house in Syokimau, Machakos County. Koki's lifeless body was discovered the following morning.

While noting that the evidence tabled before the Court was largely circumstantial, Justice Olel maintained that the suspect was the last person to be seen alive with the deceased.

An autopsy also revealed that Koki was suffocated to death using a pillow. Additionally, Kadima booked a ticket to Uganda following the incident but was apprehended by police before he could flee the country.

"The prosecution evidence adduced when looked at in totality leads to the inescapable conclusion that it was the accused person who was last seen with the deceased and was in the process of escaping from the country under a disguised name," the judge ruled.

Koki's family had asked the court to hand Kadima a custodial sentence for committing the crime, noting that he had taken the life of their daughter, showed no remorse for his actions and even attempted to flee the country.

However, Kadima requested a non-custodial sentence, apologising to Koki's family and stating that he had taken time to reflect while in remand. He similarly claimed that the reason he left the house in a hurry was because Koki was suffering from a bout of COVID-19.

Justice Olel, however, pointed out that evidence presented before the court had proved that Koki's killing was premeditated.

"From the analysis, it is clear that the accused person did not have any other intention but to inflict grievous harm upon the deceased. It is my finding that the accused person knew or ought to have known that his action would result in death, and it can safely be inferred from the nature of the injury inflicted that the accused person's actions were premeditated," the judge ruled.

"I have considered the circumstances under which the offence was committed and take judicial notice of increasing cases of gender based violence. A deterrent sentence must be handed down to discourage other would-be offenders and restore public order. I do hereby sentence the accused to serve 40 years imprisonment from January 8, 2021, when he was arrested."

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