Ugandan herbalist sentenced to 25 years for killing Kenyan nurse
The 40-year-old nurse, who was based at the Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology (RIAT) dispensary in Kisumu, went missing between July 24 and July 27, 2019.
A 52-year-old Ugandan herbalist has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after being found guilty of killing a Kenyan nurse official.
Presiding Judge Reuben Nyakundi of the High Court in Eldoret, convicted the herbalist, Mawanda Asuma, for the murder of Ferdinand Ongeri, who at the time served as the deputy chairman of the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), Kisumu branch.
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The 40-year-old nurse, who was based at the Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology (RIAT) dispensary in Kisumu, went missing between July 24 and July 27, 2019. His decomposed body was later discovered in Kimondi Forest, near Kapsabet town in Nandi County, by herdsmen who alerted local authorities.
Testifying in court, Kiptuywa area Chief Emily Cherono described the condition of the body at the scene, saying the deceased had suffered multiple bruises, including deep cuts on the stomach and in the mouth.
The late Ongeri’s wife, Brossy Makimtingwa Ongeri, a Ugandan citizen and fellow nurse, told the court that she began to fear the worst after her husband became unreachable on his mobile phone.
“I received news of his death moments after all attempts to contact him failed,” she said.
His mother, Isabela Ongeri, a retired nurse, also gave an emotional testimony, recounting her final phone call with her son.
“He had promised to visit me the following week, a visit that never happened,” she told the court.
According to the prosecution, Ongeri had gone missing shortly after successfully negotiating a promotion deal for nurses with the regional government’s health department.
The court heard that the herbalist, who operated across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, had committed the murder in Nandi County. He was denied bail after the prosecution argued he was a flight risk.
In his defence during the December 2024 hearing, Asuma denied involvement in the torture and murder of the nurse. He claimed that the deceased was not only his client but also his best friend, and that he had been administering herbal remedies for obesity-related complications.
“There is no way I could have contributed to his death,” Asuma told the court.
However, Justice Nyakundi ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, leading to Asuma’s conviction and sentencing to 25 years imprisonment.
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