The High Court in Eldoret has sentenced a 52-year-old Ugandan herbalist, Mawanda Asuma, to 25 years in prison after finding him guilty of murdering Kenyan nurse Ferdinand Ongeri, a senior official of the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN).
Presiding Judge Reuben Nyakundi delivered the judgment, ruling that the prosecution had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt. Ongeri, who served as the deputy chairman of KNUN’s Kisumu branch, was based at the Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology (RIAT) dispensary in Kisumu County. He was 40 years old at the time of his death.
According to court records, Asuma committed the murder between July 24 and July 27, 2019, in Kimondi forest, Nandi County. Ongeri’s decomposed body was discovered by herdsmen near Kapsabet town, bearing signs of torture including deep cuts on the stomach and mouth.
The herbalist, who operated across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda, denied involvement, claiming that Ongeri was both a close friend and a client he was treating for obesity-related complications. He pleaded not guilty and was denied bail due to being deemed a flight risk.
Testifying in court, Kiptuywa area Chief Emily Cherono described the condition of Ongeri’s body upon discovery, while the deceased’s widow, Brossy Makimtingwa Ongeri, also a nurse and Ugandan citizen, recounted how her attempts to reach her husband failed shortly after he went missing.
Ongeri had disappeared shortly after brokering a successful promotion deal for nurses with the Kisumu County health department. His mother, Isabela Ongeri, a retired nurse, told the court she last spoke with her son days before his disappearance, during which he had promised to visit her.
Justice Nyakundi, in passing sentence, noted the brutal nature of the murder and the pain inflicted on the family, underscoring the need for accountability and deterrence.
Written By Rodney Mbua
