A High Court in Eldoret has handed a 25-year prison sentence to a 52-year-old Ugandan herbalist found guilty of murdering a Kenyan nurse and union official.
Justice Reuben Nyakundi, from Eldoret court, convicted Mawanda Asuma in the killing of Ferdinand Ongeri, the deputy chairperson of the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Kisumu branch.
Ongeri, who was 40 years old then, was stationed at the Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology (RIAT) dispensary in Kisumu County.
His murder took place between July 24 and 27, 2019, in Kimondi Forest in Nandi County.
Mawanda Asuma refuted claims of involvement in the murder and was denied bail after prosecutors argued he posed an escape risk.
Justice Nyakundi, in his ruling, stated that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
During his defence in December 2024, Asuma distanced himself from Ongeri’s death, claiming the nurse was both a close friend and a client.
He told the court he had been treating Ongeri for obesity-related health issues using herbal medicine and insisted he had nothing to do with his death.
The court heard that Asuma operated his herbal practice across several East African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda.
Ongeri had reportedly failed to report at his workplace shortly after securing a promotion deal for nurses with the Kisumu County health department.
Later, his body was discovered in Kimondi Forest near Kapsabet town by herders, who alerted local authorities.
It was decomposed, with visible signs of torture and deep cuts on his abdomen and mouth.
Kiptuywa area Chief Emily Cherono, one of the first government officials at the scene, testified that the body bore multiple injuries, indicating a violent death.
The late nurse’s wife, Brossy Makimtingwa Ongeri, who is also a nurse and Ugandan citizen, told the court she got news of her husband’s death after several unsuccessful attempts to reach him on the phone.
His mother, Isabela Ongeri, a retired nurse, recounted her last conversation with her son, who had promised to visit her the following week, a visit that never happened.
