Time has a way of fulfilling both promises and threats. For George Odhiambo, what started as an angry outburst in the heat of an argument became his reality years later. The Kisumu man, who had once sworn that he would end up in jail while his friend was ferried to the mortuary, now faces 30 years behind bars for murder.
The tragic events unfolded in 2016 when Odhiambo and his friend, Kennedy Ougo, had a heated exchange. As emotions ran high, Odhiambo threatened to kill Ougo, a statement that, in hindsight, seemed to foreshadow the events that followed. A witness in court recounted how Ougo, after the argument, turned to walk away. However, Odhiambo followed him and, in a moment of fatal aggression, stabbed him, killing him instantly.
Odhiambo was arrested in 2016 and charged with murder. In February 2017, the High Court found him guilty and sentenced him to death. The ruling was based on the gravity of the crime and the indisputable evidence against him. However, time once again played a role in his fate.
Determined to fight the verdict, Odhiambo appealed, arguing that the death sentence was too harsh and inhumane. His case went to the Court of Appeal, where judges upheld his conviction but reconsidered the punishment. In their ruling, they noted that the trial judge had not properly weighed all available sentencing options. As a result, the court decided to interfere with the initial ruling and commute his sentence to 30 years in prison.
The new sentence also accounted for time served since his initial arrest in 2014. The ruling stated, “We take into consideration the circumstances of the case, the injuries that were inflicted on the deceased, and the appellant’s mitigation, and in our considered view, find a sentence of 30 years imprisonment to be appropriate.”
For Odhiambo, time has been both a witness and a judge. His words, spoken in anger, became his reality. What began as an impulsive threat turned into a 30-year prison term, a stark reminder that actions and even words can shape the course of one’s life. As he serves his sentence, time will continue to pass, but the tragic events of 2016 will remain a defining moment in his life, forever etched in the annals of justice.
