Justice Delayed, Trauma Endured

A Bomet court has sentenced 55-year-old Robert Kipkorir Tonui to 40 years in prison for the murder of his estranged wife, Emmy Chepkoech Mitei, a respected deputy headteacher. The judgment, delivered on Wednesday, 26 November 2025, by High Court Judge Julius Ng'arng'ar, concludes a five-year legal battle that has left the family grappling with immense trauma. Tonui was found guilty of dousing Mitei, 45, with petrol and setting her ablaze on the night of 7 October 2020, an act the prosecution successfully argued was a premeditated and cold-blooded plan. The attack occurred at Mitei's parents' home in Konoin, Bomet County, where she had sought refuge from an abusive marriage. One of their seven children, a six-year-old, witnessed the horrific event. Mitei sustained 97 per cent burns and succumbed to her injuries four days later at Tenwek Hospital.

For the victim's children, the verdict brought a complex mix of relief and sorrow. "It has been traumatic coming to court for five years and facing our father who killed our mother," Anita Chelangat, the eldest daughter, told Nation Media Group on Wednesday, 26 November 2025. The family expressed that the sentence marked the beginning of a long healing process, hoping it serves as a deterrent and strengthens the fight against gender-based violence (GBV). Judge Ng'arng'ar, in his ruling, dismissed Tonui's defence, stating the prosecution had proven the charge of murder beyond a reasonable doubt under Section 203 of the Penal Code. The court concurred that the act of using petrol and a match demonstrated a clear intent to cause death.

A National Crisis: Femicide in Kenya

The Bomet case is a grim reflection of a wider, escalating crisis of femicide and gender-based violence in Kenya. According to a joint report by Africa Uncensored and Odipo Dev released in January 2025, Kenya experienced an unprecedented surge in femicide in 2024, with at least 170 women killed—the highest annual toll on record and a 79 per cent increase from 2023. Data from Femicide Count Kenya indicates that from 2019 to 2024, approximately 500 femicides were reported, a figure considered an undercount. Intimate partners are the most frequent perpetrators. The Silencing Women Project found that intimate partners (husbands or boyfriends) were responsible for 70% of convictions in 2024.

Organizations like the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Kenya) have repeatedly called on the government to declare femicide a national disaster. Despite a robust legal framework, including the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act of 2015, activists argue that enforcement is weak and societal norms continue to fuel the violence. A 2022 national survey revealed that about a third of all Kenyan women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence. Furthermore, a study presented by UN Women in October 2025 noted that 30% of women and 19% of men in Kenya believe a husband is justified in beating his wife under certain circumstances, highlighting deeply entrenched patriarchal attitudes.

The Unseen Victims: Children of Violence

The trauma experienced by Emmy Mitei's children underscores the devastating and often overlooked impact of domestic violence on its youngest witnesses. Research shows a strong correlation between domestic abuse and child abuse, with children exposed to such violence being at a significantly higher risk of developing psychological, emotional, and behavioural problems. Exposure to intimate partner violence is a precursor to challenges such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and difficulty in forming healthy relationships later in life. Studies in Kenya have shown that children who witness domestic violence are more likely to exhibit both internalizing behaviours, like withdrawal and depression, and externalizing behaviours, such as aggression. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this vulnerability, with a notable increase in domestic violence cases reported during lockdown periods, further endangering children in unstable homes. The cycle of violence is often generational; men who witnessed domestic violence as children are more likely to become perpetrators themselves. As the Mitei family begins to navigate life after the verdict, their experience serves as a stark reminder of the profound, long-term societal cost of gender-based violence, extending far beyond the immediate victim to scar the next generation.