Cop who shot ex-wife several times found guilty of murder

An administration police officer who shot and killed his 26-year old ex-wife in Navakholo, Kakamega county in 2019, will be sentenced next week Thursday.

Justice William Musyoka had set the sentencing of Patrick Nyapara for February 16 after finding him guilty of murdering Christine Maonga by shooting her several times on January 14, 2019.

The sentencing couldn’t take place on Thursday for lack of a probation report on Nyapara. Musyoka moved the sentencing to next Thursday to allow for a report to be filed in court.

While passing judgment, Musyoka said the prosecution had made a convincing case against Nyapara by presenting 21 witnesses who placed him at the murder scene.

In his defense, Nyapara told the court that he had not intended to pull the trigger on her.

“The accused person comes from Busia and not Kakamega county, therefore I will give the probation the last chance. I will adjourn the matter to the February  23, 2023, for a sentencing hearing. If no report will have been filed by then, I will proceed and give the verdict,” the judge said.

He added, “The probation officer should take this sentiment seriously since this is not the first time we are having delays on the probation side, this case does not only involve the accused person, it has many people involved. By failing to file the report, as a probation officer, you are delaying justice from being served.”

The deceased was a teacher at Navakholo Secondary School.

Nyapara on the other hand, had been deployed to man the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission offices in Navakholo.

Nyapara is said to have shot Maonga several times at her house following a misunderstanding on January 14, 2019.

An argument is said to have ensued between them and the next thing the neighbours heard were gunshots.

"I was at the scene. I saw the accused come to her house, I heard the gunshots or saw the officer fire the gun at the teacher. I saw her fall and the accused fled the scene," Maonga's neighbour told the court.

The neighbour's version was augmented saying Nyapara was on duty at the armoury on that day.

"He issued firearms to his colleagues, he took a gun from the armoury and went with it to the house of the teacher," the police officer told the court.

They had been together since 2013 and had one child aged six years.