Suba North Member of Parliament (MP) Millie Odhiambo on Monday revealed her involvement in a plan to overturn the death penalty that was handed to prison beauty queen Ruth Kamande.
Commenting on the sentence that trended widely on social media, the MP described it as inhumane and degrading.
Millie conveyed that she is currently spearheading a group in parliament that is seeking to abolish the death sentence from the Constitution.
"I am the Chairperson of the Parliamentarians for Global Action in Kenya and we believe in the rule of law and human rights.
[caption caption="MP Millie Odhiambo speaks during a past discussion on JKL Live"]
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"And one of the things we’re working on this term is the abolition of the death penalty and we’re going to bring amendments to remove the death penalty in our books," she stated during an interview on Citizen TV.
The MP conveyed that she has always been against the death sentence and the case had given her pursuit to have it scrapped some impetus.
"When we were discussing it at Bomas, I was one amongst very few who were calling for the abolition of the death penalty," she noted during the interview.
Millie further explained that the Parliamentarians for Global Action group intended to convert the death penalty into a life imprisonment sentence.
This, she explained, would mean that all those currently incarcerated - Ms Kamande included - and awaiting executions would instead be jailed for life.
Justice Jessie Lesiit imposed the death penalty on the Lang'ata Women's Prison beauty queen citing that she did not want youth in Kenya to get the impression that it is "cool" to kill those who wrong them in relationships.
[caption caption="DCJ Philomena Mwilu with Ruth Kamande, prisoner sentenced to death for stabbing her boyfriend 25 times causing his death"]
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