The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by Ruth Kamande, the former Miss Lang’ata Women’s Prison, effectively affirming her life sentence for the 2015 murder of her boyfriend, Farid Mohammed Halim.
Kamande was found guilty of stabbing Halim 25 times, resulting in his death.
In her latest appeal, Kamande attempted to introduce the battered woman syndrome as a legal defense, arguing that her case involved issues of significant public interest. However, the Supreme Court rejected this argument, noting that the defense had never been raised during her original trial in the High Court or in her previous appeal.
“This Court notes that the applicant never raised the defense of battered woman syndrome—either explicitly or implicitly—at any stage prior to this appeal,” the ruling stated.
The justices pointed out that the issue was introduced for the first time during a certification application at the Court of Appeal, questioning whether it was properly presented or examined by the lower courts.
Furthermore, the Court observed that Kamande’s own testimony described her relationship with Halim as a typical romantic one, lacking evidence of abuse or toxic behavior that could support the use of a battered woman defense.
Kamande had turned to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal upheld her life sentence in 2020.
With this decision, her legal battle for a reduced sentence or a retrial has come to an end, and she will continue to serve her life term.
