'Pastor' sentenced to 10 years in jail for killing wife on Valetine's eve

Stephen Nderitu, 70, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder of his wife on the eve of Valentine’s Day two years ago.

Nderitu, who was widely known as a pastor and respected for his commitment to the church, killed his wife of 42 years, Rosa Chokchok, using a panga and a hammer.

Nakuru High Court judge Samwel Mohochi heard that on Valentine’s Eve, Nderitu dragged his wife from the kitchen, where she was sleeping with their 15-year-old daughter. The judge noted that the murder occurred in an open maize field on the family farm, shortly after the harvest.

After committing the offence, Nderitu attempted to conceal the crime by dumping his wife’s body in a neglected well. “The body was pushed in headfirst in an attempt to conceal it, and the disused well was covered with remnant maize stalks from the harvest,” Justice Mohochi observed.

The couple’s 15-year-old daughter testified that at about 7 pm on the day of the incident, her father instructed her mother to milk the cows. Her mother declined, saying she was unwell. He dismissed her concerns and ordered the children to assist him instead.

The girl told the court that her mother later slept in the kitchen that night, a decision that angered her father. At around 9 pm, Nderitu allegedly entered the kitchen, switched off the lights and demanded that his wife join him in the bedroom. When she refused, he pulled her out of bed, causing her to fall and dragged her outside.

She said she heard her mother screaming and begging for her life. Believing her mother was preparing to leave for her parents’ home, the girl went to sleep.

The following morning, the kitchen appeared clean, but she noticed blood stains on slippers and water bottles. Her father dropped her off at school and was later arrested at around 11 am after her mother’s remains were discovered.

Their son, Johnson Lengeywa, testified that he heard his sister screaming that night and rushed outside, where he found his mother lying on the ground as their father stood nearby holding a hammer and a panga. He said his father threatened to kill him and ordered him back into the house.

The next morning, Lengeywa was sent to Nessuit shopping centre.

On returning home, he found his mother missing and discovered a blood-stained panga and hammer. When he questioned his father, Nderitu took the weapons away and gave him another panga.

After failed attempts to reach his mother by phone, Lengeywa contacted his siblings, who advised him to check the well. He later found his mother’s body inside, covered with a blanket.

In his defence, Nderitu claimed his children had lied and accused his wife of infidelity.