High Court in Eldoret sentences farm hand to serve 40 years in jail for murdering his employer

Daniel Matutu (L) and Michael Biwott, who are relatives of the deceased, leaving the court in Eldoret after the sentencing

A 36-year-old man will spend the next 40 years in prison for killing his 72-year-old employer in Uasin Gishu county.

The High Court in Eldoret handed the sentence to Silas Sang, who had been working as a herdsman at the home of Hellen Biwott (deceased).

Justice Reuben Nyakundi found him guilty of murder, ruling that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The court heard that Sang killed Biwott on the morning of April 22, 2022, at her home in Kabenes area, Moiben subcounty. The deceased was a small-scale dairy and maize farmer.

According to the prosecution, Sang hit Biwott’s head against a wall inside her house before stabbing her in the neck, killing her on the spot.

He then fled, boarding a matatu to Eldoret town before connecting to another vehicle and alighting at Matete shopping centre in Kakamega county.

Detectives later arrested him in Uasin Gishu after a seven-day manhunt.

In mitigation, Sang asked the court for leniency, saying he was driven to commit the crime by what he described as a long-standing curse in his family.

“I really regret this issue. We have a history of curses in our family where my father killed a child in Narok county and died in prison,” he said.

He told the court that another relative had also died in prison after being jailed for murder and claimed the same fate had followed him.

Sang said he was remorseful and pleaded for mercy.

But Justice Nyakundi said the offence warranted a severe sentence.

“I would have sentenced you to life imprisonment, but I now sentence you to 40 years in prison,” the judge ruled.

He added that the deceased would still be alive were it not for Sang’s actions.