UGANDA: KIU girl gets 9 years in jail for killing boyfriend

KAMPALA

The High Court in Kampala has sentenced a university student to nine years imprisonment after finding her guilty of killing her boyfriend, David Musunga, two years ago.

Jane Ndichu, a Kampala International University (KIU) student, appeared before Justice Jane Kiggundu, who convicted her of manslaughter, acquitting her of murder. “The prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the convict with malice a forethought premeditated to commit the offence,” Justice Kiggundu said. She said while convicting Ndichu, “the fact that the knife which was used to stab the deceased was in the hands of the convict at the material time is enough proof that she was at the scene of crime.”

The judge noted that in her testimony, she (Ndichu) said on the fateful day, Musunga told her to take the knife which he had already held in his hands. She said as she struggled to pull the knife away, that is when the deceased held her hands unwillingly and drove the knife through his chest.

“This court finds that Ndichu got remorseful, because after the incident she rushed to call neighbours to come to the deceased’s rescue despite her failing to confess in court that she stabbed him out of anger,” Justice Kiggundu said.

She said the prosecution provided evidence that a day before the incident Musunga, who was also a Second Year Mass Communication student at KIU, went for a night out and promised her girlfriend, Ndichu, that he would return home early which he did not do. 

“This circumstance led the convict to act out of anger by using a knife to stab her boyfriend,” she said.

Prosecution alleged that the 23 --year–old Ndichu on March 10, 2010 murdered Musunga at their one-roomed house at Kansanga in Makindye division near the University. However, the convict yesterday apologised in court to the family of Musunga and her family saying the whole trial has taught her a lesson.

“My lord I want to send my sincere heart felt regrets to the family of my deceased boyfriend and my family. The two years I have spent on remand have made me vigilant and observant when relating to the opposite sex,” Ndichu said.

Source: Daily Monitor (12/11/2012): http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/KIU-girl-gets-9-years-in-jail-for-killing-boyfriend/-/688334/1616904/-/e0m5ns/-/index.html