Baby’s killer now faces the gallows

Dar es Salaam. A man who strangled his six-month-old baby and threw her body in a river in Njombe Region is headed for the gallows after losing his appeal against conviction and death sentence.

Godfrey Katende was sentenced to suffer death by hanging after he was found guilty of strangling Dianess on April 13, 2011 and threw her body in Hagafilo River in Hagafilo Village, Njombe District.

Before committing the heinous crime, Mr Katende sent his wife to her parents and forced to remain with the child following marital misunderstanding.

The decomposed body of Dianes was later found in Hagafilo River and buried on the river’s banks.

Justices of appeal Stella Mugasha, Gerald Ndika and Sivangilwa Mwangesi dismissed the appeal by Katende, saying prosecution evidence clearly pointed to his guilt.

“He was the last person to be seen with the deceased before she was mercilessly murdered and her body thrown into Hagafilo River as the appellant was all out to conceal and destroy evidence,” said the judges.

Marital squabbles

Mr Katende had established a marital relationship with the mother of the murdered child, Zena Sagala, who had already given birth to two children as she continued staying with her parents.

She started living as a couple with the appellant in December 2011 and later her children joined her

However, the presence of the two children appeared to have infuriated Mr Katende who frequently quarreled with Zena before he ordered the woman to go back to her parents.

Ms Zena sent the children to her parents and reported the matter to the village authorities and returned home only to find her child and the appellant not around.

When village leaders inquired about the whereabouts of the child, Mr Godfrey initially claimed he had taken her to his sister at Ilembula Town.

He kept on changing the story until he was arrested and locked up at Njombe Police Station for two weeks where he was interrogated and confessed to have killed the child and threw her body into Hagafilo River.

The decomposed body was found floating on Hagafilo River, dressed in a red gown and her neck tied up by a piece of khanga.

Mr Katende was convicted in August 2018 and sentenced to suffer death by hanging. During trial, Godfrey denied to have killed the child, arguing that the trial court erred in admitting and act on his confession statement.

The judges were satisfied that the confession statement was given by the appellant voluntarily and in compliance with legal requirements.