Former Lang’ata Women’s Prison beauty queen Ruth Kamande has suffered a major setback after the appellate court upheld her death sentence for stabbing her late boyfriend 25 times.
Justuce Hannah Okwengu, Mohamed Warsame and Jamila Mohamed said there was no doubt that Kamande inflicted the injuries that caused the death of Farid Mohamed Halim.
The judges said the nature of injuries suffered by the deceased and admittedly caused by Kamande are a clear indication that she intended to kill him ."Having carefully examined the evidence on record, we find Kamande violently, intentionally and unlawfully killed the deceased inescapable."
The judges said Kamande's alleged defence of self-defence was unbelievable given the strong and compelling evidence of the prosecution witnesses.
Kamande was in 2018 sentenced to death after being found guilty of killing Farid.
The prosecution called 15 witnesses.
Aggrieved with her conviction and sentencing, she appealed the case.
In her appeal, Kamande argued that evidence at the scene was tampered with once members of the public were allowed into the deceased's home immediately after the incident.
But the appellate judges said Kamande failed to substantiate what evidence was tampered with and how the alleged tampering compromised the evidence that was gathered by the police.
She also argued that there were contradictions and inconsistencies in the testimonies relied on by the trial court.
But the Court of Appeal said High Court Judge Jessie Lessit correctly considered the evidence that built a compelling and undeniable picture of a person who meant by their action to kill.
"There is no doubt Kamande inflicted the injuries that caused the death of Farid. No doubt she inflicted 25 stab wounds on Farid's chest, hands, legs, head, abdomen, back and shoulders," they said.
The court held that the nature of injuries suffered by Farid and admitted by Kamade is a clear testimony that she intended to kill. This they said proved beyond any reasonable doubt the offence of murder.