A 12-year-old boy has narrated in court the harrowing moment he witnessed his mother being fatally stabbed in Kasarani nearly three years ago.
Testifying before Justice Alexander Muteti, the minor recounted how the accused, Joseph Okello Odhiambo, also known as Jose, allegedly attacked his mother, Gladys Ndulu, on May 7, 2023.
The boy told the court that on the day of the incident, he was in the company of his sister Jackline and their mother. They were returning from a salon when they encountered Odhiambo, who greeted them.
According to the witness, neither his mother nor his sister responded to the greeting.
He said the accused confronted them over the silence and instructed them to collect their belongings from his house, where they had been living.
The family proceeded to the residence, where Odhiambo allegedly ordered them to vacate the house. The sister led the way out, after which the accused locked the house with a padlock.
As they walked toward the gate, the boy told the court, his mother asked Jackline to return and collect their clothes. The accused reportedly handed over the key to enable her to do so. The three then moved toward the apartment gate.
The witness said he trailed behind as his mother walked alongside the accused. Once outside the gate and along a rough road, he remained at a distance, watching the two.
From where he stood, partially concealed behind a post, he told the court he saw the accused grab his mother from behind. He testified that Odhiambo held her around the waist before stabbing her in the neck and rib area using what he described as a Maasai knife.
He said his mother collapsed to the ground after the attack. The accused allegedly continued assaulting her by punching her in the stomach before fleeing the scene.
The minor rushed to his mother’s side and found her bleeding heavily but still conscious.
He told the court that she urged him to scream for help. His cries attracted neighbours, including his sister.
Jackline then picked up her mother’s phone and contacted Shadrack Mutisya, whom the boy identified as his father.
Mutisya and neighbours reportedly used the landlord’s vehicle to rush Ndulu to St Francis Hospital in Kasarani. However, she was pronounced dead on arrival.