A 32-year-old man accused of killing his father after he refused to give him cash to go to the hospital for treatment has been charged in an Eldoret Court.
The prosecution preferred murder charges against the suspect, Silas Mwenda after a second psychiatric report from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, was presented before Eldoret High Court Judge Reuben Nyakundi declaring him fit to take the plea.
Mwenda, who was represented by lawyer Damaris Gesare, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
He failed to take a plea on August 14 when he was first brought to court after the first psychiatric report from the same hospital stated that he was not fit to stand trial.
This forced the Presiding Judge to defer his plea to pave the way for a second mental assessment to be carried out on the suspected killer at the public facility.
The particulars of the offences are that the accused killed his father John Marete on March 1, 2023, at Kipkaren estate on the outskirts of Eldoret town in Kapseret sub-county, Uasin Gishu County.
On the fateful day, the accused is said to have approached his parents and sibling saying that he was feeling unwell and requested money to go for treatment in the nearby hospital.
However, his plea was ignored by his family, prompting the accused to pick a meat grinder from his parent’s house to go and sell so as to raise money for his treatment.
The deceased, who was armed with two wooden sticks, confronted his son, demanding to know why he was taking his meat grinder for sale without his consent.
The two exchanged bitter words before the accused overpowered his father snatched one of the wooden sticks and hit him twice on the head leading to his death.
Justice Nyakundi set the hearing of the case on December 13.
