Naftali Kinuthia has been sentenced to serve 40 years in jail for the murder of medical student Ivy Wangeci in Eldoret four years ago
Justice Stephen Githinji said that the offence committed was brutal and called for a harsh sentence against the accused.
The judge said an innocent soul was lost but he had also considered pleadings by lawyer Mathenge Wokabi for the accused and lawyers for the victim.
The lawyers for the victim and the state had pleaded for the death penalty but Githinji said the court could not buy the idea of a tooth for a tooth in delivering judgement.
Earlier Kinuthia had pleaded for a non-custodial sentence saying it would give him a second chance in life.
Lawyer Wakabi made a passionate plea in mitigation before Justice Githinji issued the verdict.
Githinji had last month found Kinuthia guilty of murdering Wangeci.
"Your honour we plead for a non-custodial sentence to give the accused a second chance in life so that he can re-integrate with his family and society and make out of his educational skills," Wokabi said.
"Although Kinuthia may not have expressed remorse at an early stage, he did so during his defense."
Wokabi also argued that the accused had not interfered with witnesses or made any contact with the family of the deceased.
He said the two families of the accused and deceased had known each other for long and the court should consider the relationship between the two during their good days.
"We urge this court to consider any other sentence other than the death sentence," Wokabi said.
He had urged that the sentencing should not be an act of vengeance and would not restore the life of the deceased even though the accused regrets his actions.
Githinji had last month in his ruling said that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable the offence of murder and the accused stands convicted.
The judge trashed Kinuthia's defence in which the accused claimed he was provoked after Ivy ended their love relationship and went for another man.
The accused had claimed that his case was a matter of provocation and a heat of passion but the judge trashed the assertion.
The judge noted that although Kinuthia had claimed that they had an intimate relationship there was no evidence of the same.
"Even text messages reviewed did not prove evidence of an intimate relationship and the the accused did not also prove a sexual relationship with the deceased," Githinji said.
He said Ivy and Kinuthia were not married but just old friends.
He noted that the accused used a lethal weapon-axe and hit the deceased several leaving her with no chance of survival.
"If he did not want to kill her he would have used bare fists on her and not the axe," Githinji said.
The judge noted that claims of provocation by Kinuthia were not true.
Kinuthia followed the proceedings virtually from the Eldoret GK prison.
