A former journalist has been released from prison after serving more than five years behind bars for the 2011 death of his wife.
Moses Dola was found guilty of killing his wife, Sarah Wambui Kabiru, at their home in Umoja, Nairobi. Wambui was also a journalist, working for NTV at the time of her death.
His release follows a decision by High Court Judge Alexander Muteti, who granted his application for a sentence review and reduction.
In a virtual ruling, the prison department was ordered to release the former reporter immediately unless there were legal grounds to keep him detained.
This latest court decision marked a victory for Dola, who had previously had an application for sentence reduction denied.
The former TV reporter sought to have the court factor in the time he spent in remand as part of his 10-year sentence. According to his calculations, taking all factors into account, he should have been released in November 2023 instead of 2025.
Dola was initially arrested in May 2011 and spent 627 days in prison while awaiting trial. He was later granted a KSh 1 million cash bail to secure temporary freedom.
Originally charged with murder, the court later reduced the charge to manslaughter and sentenced him to 10 years in prison in November 2018.
At the time, Judge Roselyne Korir ordered the cancellation of Dola's bond terms because the journalist was the stronger party in the domestic dispute which led to the death of Sarah Wambui.
Dola's life took a drastic turn for the worse in 2011 when, according to his testimony, he accidentally took his wife's life during a domestic dispute over the volume of music.
He told the court that on May 1, 2011, an altercation broke out between him and his late wife, which turned physical. During the struggle, his wife sustained a fatal injury after hitting her head on the bed. Dola described the incident as a "split-second event."
“She hit her head on the bed, but because we fell on the mattress, I did not realise that she was injured,” he testified.
According to Dola, his wife’s last words were, “Ona umeniumiza” (See, you have hurt me).
