Fate of man who killed father over Sh1,000 to be known

A ruling on a case in which a 40-year-old man is accused of killing his father with an axe will be delivered on August 21.

This is after State Counsel Bernice Kigali told presiding judge Justice Stephen Githinji to have the judgment deferred until they get the original copy of the post-mortem that was conducted on the deceased's body.

She told the judge that they were yet to access the original copy noting that what they have was only a photocopy of the document. 

“Your lordship, we have not yet accessed the original photocopy of the post-mortem report and we pray that you defer the ruling to another date to enable us to bring the document in court,” said Kigali.

Edwin Kiprop is said to have killed his father on October 18, 2016, at Kameli village in Keiyo South constituency, Elgeyo Marakwet County.

Kiprop is said to have engaged in a bitter dispute with his father Joseph Masit, over the sharing of Sh1000 from the sale of a family tree.

He told the court that on that fateful day, his father confronted him with an axe demanding to know why he took all the money that had accrued from the sale of his tree.

He told the court that before he could explain to his father the issue of the money, the deceased aimed the axe at him missing death by a whisker.

Kiprop said he killed his father in self-defence after the deceased tried to eliminate him with an axe.

“My father provoked me and I am remorseful that I did not do it out of my will. I’m ready to enter into a plea guilty in connection to my father’s death,” he said.

The court had earlier heard that the family of the deceased led by the widow and office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) has decided to draft a plea and sentence bargain.

The family members among them the brothers and sisters of the suspect, in their plea bargain have pleaded that a charge of murder against the accused be changed to a lesser charge.

Justice Githinji directed that the accused, be remanded at Eldoret GK prison.