This archive report was first published on 23 September 2019.
On April 27, 2016, a tragic incident occurred in Lukeme village, Kakamega North sub-county, when Mathayo Lukavilo Sifuna, a 29-year-old man, hacked his father, Francis Okonga Yeswa, to death with a hoe.
According to the court, Lukavilo had woken up early that morning and started digging near his house, but his father confronted him, saying the ground he was digging did not belong to him.
A bitter exchange ensued, during which Lukavilo hit his father with a hoe and fled to a nearby cane plantation. Okonga was taken to Kakamega County General Hospital, where he died the following day.
High Court Judge Jesse Njagi ruled that the evidence tendered in court was consistent, stating, “The accused killed his father by inflicting a serious injury on his head after a quarrel.
After considering all the circumstances of the case, mitigation of the accused and the time spent in custody pending trial, I sentence him to 15 years in jail,” ruled Justice Njagi.
