Kenyan Newspapers Review: Kakamega Man Who Killed Father Over Food Set Free After 10yrs In Remand

On Monday, December 25, the national dailies widely reported on Archbishop Philip Anyolo's move to oppose the decision to allow Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples.

The papers also reported on the decision by a Kakamega court to set free a man accused of killing his father.

1. Daily Nation

The publication reported on the bold move by Nairobi Archbishop Philip Anyolo to criticise Pope Francis's decision to allow Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples.

In a statement on Saturday, December 23, Anyolo said that the decision contradicts traditional Catholic doctrine on marriage and family, including the disapproval of the Catholic Church of homosexual unions.

According to Anyolo, the Fiducia Supplicans declaration advocates for the recognition of the institution of marriage as only a union between a man and a woman.

"This Declaration confirms and reiterates the perennial teaching of the Church that marriage is to be affirmed as an "exclusive, stable and indissoluble union of a man and a woman, naturally open to the generation of children.

"...and that the "Church does not have the power to impart blessings on unions of persons of the same sex," said Anyolo's statement read in part.

Citing teachings from the Bible, Anyolo said that the church firmly condemns the proposal and remains unwelcome.

2. The Standard

The paper reported on a ruling by a Kakamega High Court, where a man accused of killing his father was set free.

Geoffrey Mandela, aged 28, was accused of killing his father in 2014 after they disagreed over food.

Justice Chirchir Chebet freed Mandela after being in remand for ten years, arguing that he was barely an adult when he committed the offence and that he had reformed during the 10 years he spent in custody.

“I am convinced that what the accused needs is rehabilitation, not inside the prison. Therefore, I order the accused be released forthwith unless otherwise lawfully held,” ruled Justice Chebet.

The judge pointed out that the accused had been threatened by his father and was reacting to an incident of domestic violence.

The accused had testified that his father, Benedict Likulu, was always violent and frequently attacked him.

He said on the fateful day, he had just arrived home at around 7pm from a football match at Sigalagala Primary when his father emerged as he was having a meal.

“My father interjected by questioning where I had been because I had failed to take care of the cattle. To him, I did not deserve the food,” said Mandela.

After an argument, he picked up a walking stick and hit his father on the head, where he bled to death.

3. Taifa Leo

The Swahili publication reported on the grisly accident that left two people dead, with others having sustained severe injuries, on the morning of Sunday, December 24.

The victims were on board a Mash Cool bus en route to Malindi from Nairobi. Police said the bus collided with a Mercedes-Benz truck near the Taru Town Centre, along the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway.

Preliminary investigations established that the driver of the trailer could not keep to his lane, prompting the bus to veer off the road in a bid to escape it.

The cabin of the truck was wrecked following the impact of the collision, and the bus was equally wrecked, overturning beside the road.

4. The Star

Ugenya MP David Ochieng was forced to flee a funeral after he was attacked by mourners, the paper reported.

Gem MP Elisha Odhiambo condemned the chaos witnessed at a funeral attended by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga in Ligega, Ugenya Constituency.

MP Odhiambo called on the former prime minister to speak candidly about the rising political intolerance at funerals in Siaya County.

He further asked Siaya County Commissioner Julius Otieno to broker peace.

"I am asking the county commissioner to call leaders to a conversation around security in funerals. It is painful to fight in funerals when a family is grieving over the loss of a loved one," Odhiambo said.