A father’s heart shattered in a Makueni courtroom as he struggled to testify against his own son, accused of the unthinkable, murdering his mother.
Joseph Makuthi Mativo fought back tears as he recounted the harrowing day his wife, Magret Mumbua Makuthi, was allegedly killed by their son, Erick Munyao Makuthi.
But the pain became too much to bear.
Overcome by grief, Mativo attempted to walk away from the witness stand, his body trembling under the weight of his testimony.
Gasps filled the courtroom as police officers gently urged him back, while the Makueni High Court Presiding Judge, Teresia Matheka, offered quiet words of encouragement.
“I know it is difficult to testify against your son, but it is paramount for you to finish giving your evidence to help the court reach a verdict,” she told the distraught father.
With a heavy heart, Mativo relived the nightmare.
He was in Sultan Hamud when his phone rang.
His daughter, Caroline Kanini, was on the other end, her voice laced with panic.
Erick, she told him, had struck their mother on the head with a jembe after a bitter argument over food.
The words clawed at his soul as he described what he was told next: his wife, the mother of his children, lay lifeless in a pool of blood near their doorstep.
His brother, Onesimus Mwongela, had rushed to report the tragedy to Sultan Hamud Police Station.
But justice hangs in the balance.
The prosecution revealed that key witnesses, including Caroline, remain missing. She is believed to be in Tanzania, her whereabouts are uncertain.
The incident, which unfolded on May 18, 2023, in Mwatini Village, Kilome, has left a family broken beyond repair.
The case continues, set to resume on April 24, 2025.
