An 18-year-old Ugandan national who confessed to being behind the tragic murder of her six-month-old boy in an attempt to free herself from the burden of taking care of the child has been handed a six-year jail sentence.
The teen mother, coded BM was sentenced by Justice Reuben Nyakundi who declined to give her an option of a fine after she pleaded guilty to the murder charge.
She caused a stir in court when she was given a chance to defend herself before her sentencing. Standing in the dock as she gazed at the judge, the teen mother explained the reason why she killed her son
She said that she was forced to terminate the life of her son as she was in deep stress, frustration and the burden of taking care of the baby alone after his father abdicated his responsibility was tough on her.
The mother recounted how she strangled her son to death, then wrapped his body in a gunny bag before dumping him into a shallow well.
“I indeed killed my son who was aged six months, wrapped his body in a gunny bag and then dumped it in a well as I was unable to take care of the child on my own,” she told the court.
The accused, who looked disturbed in the dock, claimed that prior to committing the offence; she was under extreme depression, stress and fear.
After committing the heinous act she went underground for three days to evade arrest from the police who were looking for her they were informed about the incident by residents.
She later resurfaced and walked to the nearby police station where she confessed to the disappearance and killing of her son.
The police detained her in the cell before she was arraigned in court to face the murder trial.
The mother is said to have committed the offence on October 28, 2023, in the Kabogo area in Kapseret subcounty, Uasin Gishu County.
She also asked the court to give her a non-custodial sentence to enable her to get medical treatment for the trauma she went through after the horrific incident.
However, the judge turned down the offer and sent her to prison
