The High Court in Migori has upheld a 10-year sentence meted out on a man who was convicted of manslaughter four years ago.
In the judgment made last week, Justice Roseline Wendoh said the trial court had granted the accused Michael Kegocha a very lenient sentence given the serious nature of the offence committed.
Kegocha had been charged with the murder of his friend Jackson Ngocho. After striking a plea bargain deal with the prosecution, he faced an alternative charge of manslaughter.
The accused committed the offence on December 4, 2018 at Komasincha village in Kuria West Sub-County, Migori.
The Principal Magistrate Court in Kehancha had convicted him of the manslaughter charges two weeks later.
Dissatisfied with the sentence, Kegocha on October 3, 2022 filed an appeal claiming the sentence was harsh and excessive. He requested for reduction of the sentence or release on probation.
He told the court that he is a married man, the sole breadwinner of the family, and that is remorseful.
Kegocha claimed that he has reformed after undergoing some courses in prison, including carpentry and bible study.
However, the prosecution noted that the court's sentence was lenient, having in mind that the appellant and deceased were friends, he was a first offender, and he pleaded guilty to the charge. The prosecution urged the court not to interfere with the sentence.
Justice Wendoh dismissed the appeal.