By BOB WASWANI
May 22, 2026| A Busia court has sentenced a 27-year-old man to 15 years in prison for killing his wife in a jealous rage after allegedly finding her with another man, in a case that laid bare the devastating human cost of domestic violence and broken families.
In a judgment delivered at the High Court in Busia on May 12, Justice Solomon Mohochi sentenced Douglas Bushuru Angatia after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter over the death of his wife, Mercy Naliaka.
But even as the court handed down the punishment, one image lingered painfully through the proceedings — that of a four-year-old child standing at the gate of his grandmother’s home, still hoping his father will one day walk back home.
The court heard that the child now lives with the convict’s ageing mother, who reportedly struggles with illness and financial hardship after the tragedy ripped through the family.
Initially charged with murder, Angatia entered into a plea bargain agreement with the State in March this year, leading prosecutors to reduce the charge to manslaughter.
According to court records, the tragedy unfolded on March 4, 2025, at Lupida Sub-location in Busia County.
Police were alerted after Angatia walked into Sang’alo Police Post in Bungoma and confessed that he had killed his wife before locking her body inside their house.
Officers later broke into the home and found Mercy Naliaka lying dead in the bedroom.
A postmortem established that she had suffered severe head injuries.
During mitigation, defence lawyer Mr Otieno told the court the accused was overwhelmed after allegedly finding his wife in a compromising situation with another man.
The court heard that Angatia initially walked away from the scene and later consumed alcohol in an attempt to calm himself.
However, when he returned home and allegedly found the same man again with his wife, events spiralled into deadly violence.
The court heard that the other man had a panga, which Angatia grabbed before attacking his wife.
The defence insisted the killing was not planned and urged the court to show mercy, saying the accused immediately regretted his actions and voluntarily surrendered to police.
Counsel further told the court that Angatia had accepted responsibility, cooperated with investigators and pleaded guilty, sparing the victim’s family the pain of a prolonged murder trial.
The judge also heard emotional details about the young child left behind by the tragedy.
“As a child he always looks at the gate to see if his father will come home,” the defence submitted.
The court further heard that Mercy Naliaka left behind three other children from previous relationships, children who are now under the care of her father and who will grow up without their mother’s love.
Justice Mohochi acknowledged several mitigating factors, including that Angatia was a first offender, had shown remorse and was still relatively young.
The judge also noted that the killing was not premeditated but occurred in a burst of anger.
However, the court stressed that the increasing wave of killings involving women by intimate partners could not be ignored.
“Instances of femicide are on the rise and this court is persuaded that this case warrants a custodial sentence of a deterrence nature,” Justice Mohochi ruled.
The judge observed that despite the emotional circumstances surrounding the case, a life had been lost and several children had been left emotionally shattered.
In sentencing Angatia to 15 years imprisonment beginning March 5, 2025, the court attempted to balance punishment with the possibility of rehabilitation and eventual reintegration into society.
But long after the court file is closed and the sentence begins running, the emotional wounds remain fresh for two families now bound together by grief.
And somewhere in Busia, a little child still waits by the gate, hoping his father will come back home.