Senior Resident Magistrate David O. Odhiambo convicted banker Hannington Muthoka of attempted murder after a trial in which the prosecution called ten witnesses.

The offence relates to a September 2023 incident in Port Reitz, Changamwe, where Muthoka stabbed his former lover, Elizabeth Shigari Bana, three times, leaving a knife lodged in her back until it was removed during emergency surgery.

Medical evidence showed the blade penetrated Bana’s left lung, causing it to collapse, and a clinical officer classified the injuries as maiming.

Bana, then a teacher at Changamwe Secondary School, was first taken to Port Reitz Hospital by two men who found her bleeding, and later transferred to the Aga Khan Hospital’s intensive care unit.

Witnesses recounted seeing Muthoka and Bana arguing before Muthoka drove away; Bana later identified him as her attacker, and DNA analysis linked her blood to the knife and clothing recovered at the scene.

Prosecution evidence indicated Muthoka took Bana to a secluded area in Bahati, demanded sex, and after she fled, pursued and stabbed her three times; his defence that the wound was self‑inflicted was rejected by the magistrate.

The magistrate concluded that the nature and severity of the injuries demonstrated an intention to cause death, convicting Muthoka under Section 215 of the Criminal Procedure Code after he denied the charge under Section 220(a) of the Penal Code.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for 12 October 2026, when the court will consider mitigation, prosecution submissions and a victim impact statement from Bana.