Miss Lang’ata Prison Ruth Kamande who stabbed lover handed death sentence

Miss Lang’ata Prison Ruth Kamande who stabbed lover handed death sentence

- Kamande has been in remand since 2015 after she was arrested and charged for murder

- She stabbed her boyfriend Farid Mohammed 22 times at his Buru Buru house in 2015 and killed him 

- She was recently handed the death penalty for the murder charge 

Miss Lang'ata Women's Prison Ruth Wanjiru Kamande will spend the rest of her life behind bars after she was handed the death sentence by Milimani Law Court for murdering her

boyfriend. Kamande, a trained beautician, stabbed her boyfriend Farid Mohammed 22 times at his Buru Buru house in 2015 after she found love messages in his phone from his former high school lovers. In her ruling on the afternoon of Thursday, July 19, Lady Justice Jessie Lessit noted the number of stabs proved the beautician's action was malicious. 

"Ruth Kamande did not stab the deceased in quick succession but one stab at a time as she was having pleasure in stabbing him. I want young people to know that it is not cool to kill your boyfriend or girlfriend instead it is cool to walk away from a relationship when it breaks down. 

The accused person won’t be a hero to others," ruled Lessit. Kamande's lawyer Joyner Okonjo pleaded with the court on Wednesday, July 11, during the mention of the case to mete out a lenient sentence on grounds the beauty was the only child to a single mum. When arrested, Ruth, who was 21-years old then, had just enrolled for a business course at JKUAT. Her dream was shattered by the circumstances here in,” said Okonjo. 

The court also heard the beauty queen has since converted to Islam and prays five times a day besides being crowned Miss Lang'ata Women's Prison, an indication she was now reformed. “Kamande has since converted to Islam. She is now religious and prays five times a day. She has also enrolled for a theology course in prison; an indication that her stay in custody has streamlined her," he pleaded. Her plea was however rejected by the prosecution who asked the bench to hand her the death sentence so that it can be a deterrence.

The 24-year-old then, whose life was cut short was an orphan and had a task of provide for the rest of the family members, hence justice should prevail,” said the prosecution counsel. Kamande has until July 31 to appeal the ruling. While she was handed the death sentenced, the beauty will spend the rest of her life in jail and is not likely to face the hangman's nose since Kenya has not carried out any executions since 1987 when Hezekiah Ochuka and Pancras Oteyo Okumu were hanged for treason. But she may escape that if she wins her appeal. In 2010, retired president Mwai Kibaki commuted death sentences of 4,000 inmates in death row to life imprisonment while his successor Uhuru Kenyatta did the same for 2,747 inmates.