A man from Mabuteek village in Lelaitich area, Bomet County, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of killing his three children.

Bernard Kipkemoi Kirui, 40, was found guilty of murdering his three sons—Amos Kipng’etich, 12, Vincent Kiprotich, 8, and Emmanuel Kipronoh, 5— om 2019, while their mother was away from home.

In his ruling on Monday, February 17, Bomet High Court Judge Justice Julius Kipkosgei Ng’arng’ar said Kirui will serve 50 years for each of the murders he committed.

Justice Ng’arng’ar noted that Kirui’s act of murder was heinous and unhuman, insisting that the hefty sentence will serve as an example to discourage those who intent to commit similar crime.

“This court cannot overlook such a grievous act. The punishment must reflect the severity of the crime committed,” he stated.

Sharon Cherono, mother to the deceased boys, thanked the court for serving justice.

Kirui now has 14 days to appeal the sentence.

What happened?

After killing his three sons in March 2019, Kirui is said to have attempted to commit suicide by hanging, only for the rope to break.

The bodies of the deceased had scratch marks around their necks.

At the time of the incident, the mother of the kids had left her matrimonial home a week before due to a domestic dispute with the husband.

“Sadly, the three boys who had been chased away with the mother were returned to their home by the uncles a day before the murder. Their mother is said to have refused to return to her house following violence meted against her by the husband,” a Mrs Alice Koskei, a neighbour, told journalists at the time.

But Kirui was not shot of scandals, with neighbours describing him as a violent man. Before the shocking murders, he had recently been arrested for reportedly assaulting a neighbour after he seriously injured him on the face using a panga. It is also claimed that at one point, he assaulted his own father and broke his finger.