Allegations against Silas Gukuta of Manyepa village, Chief Sai are that on September 11, he had an argument with Elizabeth Zaza over a missing pig. Gukuta falsely accused the complainant of stealing it. The two ended up exchanging blows only to be separated by fellow villagers.
At around 1am when the complainant was in bed, Gukuta locked her hut and then set the thatch on fire. The complainant, however, had slept in another hut, leaving behind her 15-year-old son. The boy tried in vain to push open the door. He eventually broke it with an iron axe after sustaining severe burns.
Gukuta was positively identified by fellow villagers while escaping from the scene. The villagers had rushed to the complainants’ homestead to offer assistance in response to loud screams for help.
Magistrate Mudhodho who found Gukuta guilty of attempted murder, said he had acted in an heinous conduct that deserved the courts to place him away from society for a long time.
Post published in: News