Nyeri Woman Who Testified against Grandson Visits Him in Prison, Confesses She Lied
- A 19-year-old man, Edwin Gathigi, serving a life sentence in Nyeri prison, had an emotional reunion with his grandmother, who testified against him
- The woman visited Edwin at the King'ong'o Prison, during which she came clean on the testimony that she gave in court
- She gave reasons why she testified against him, and said what she is doing with the hope of getting him out of prison
- Edwin's mum also spoke, saying a feud with her sister was the reason her son was in prison
There was an emotional moment between a woman and her grandson at a prison in Nyeri after they met for the first time since the young man was imprisoned for life.
Source: Youtube
Nineteen-year-old Edwin Gathigi has been in prison for more than a year after he was convicted in a defilement case whose main witness was his grandmother.
However, more than a year after the case, Edwin's grandmother is now retracting her witness statement, saying she was influenced by her other daughter to give the alleged false testimony.
Speaking on Simon Kibe Jamba TV, the elderly woman admitted she made a mistake by falsely testifying and is willing to recant her statement.
The woman recently visited the prison, during which she asked him to forgive her for the testimony, which played a key role in the life sentence that he was handed.
Why is Edwin in prison?
Edwin was charged with defilement after his grandmother alleged that he had abused his cousin.
He was a Form Four student when the case started, and his grandmother took the witness stand to allege that he indeed committed the heinous crime.
Edwin was later found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
However, she now regrets making those statements before the court.
"I made a mistake, Edwin and I would ask you to forgive me. I raised you, and I did not think that you would end up in prison. I never stopped loving you, and I continue praying for you. Let us choose forgiveness because I saw my mistake. I hope we can rebuild our life after you are hopefully released," she told the inmate.
Did Edwin forgive his grandmother?
The woman claims she was misled in implicating her grandson in the crime.
On his part, Edwin extended grace to his grandmother and thanked him for visiting him in prison.
"For the time I have been in prison, I have come to learn about forgiveness and its importance, and so that is all in the past. I hope to get justice and to leave this place so I can go home and rebuild my life. I am at peace, and I have nothing against you," he told her.
The young man said an appeal for his case is already being prepared and will be heard in October.
The woman also insisted she is ready to stand before the court and recant her testimony.
"No one has compelled me to be here. I just want to do what is right," she said.
Edwin's mum speaks
Speaking after visiting Edwin in prison, his mum emotionally opened up on the hopes she had for her son, because she had him while she was young.
"I always asked him to work hard in school so that he would be there for me and his brother. When he ended up in jail, I felt as if my life had come to an end because this young man was my hope," she said.
She insisted that Edwin is innocent.
"I pray and cry when I remember my son is in prison for a crime he did not commit. I have been looking for a lawyer so that my son can get justice. We found a lawyer, but we do not have the money to pay him. I hope to raise all the money," she added.
Edwin's mother's narrates feud with her sister
The woman revealed that she and her sister, the victim's mother, had a long-standing feud, claiming they were fighting over a man. She said the feud culminated in Edwin's imprisonment.
"I wish she came for me and have me taken to prison, instead of my son," she said.
Edwin's mum claimed that a few years ago, she discovered suggestive texts between her sister and her husband, and she believes that her son was set up as a result of this fight.
Man who married second wife ends up in jail
In other news, a Nakuru man who married a second wife to teach the second a lesson ended up regretting his decision.
This was after a feud with his second wife saw him jailed for 15 years.
David Njoroge Chege narrated that due to protracted marital issues with his first wife, he decided to marry a younger second wife, to teach the first a lesson, not knowing the plan would backfire on him.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
