Three days before Christmas at Club 42 Bar in Salgaa Trading Centre in Rongai, Nakuru County, a night of drinking turned deadly for two commercial sex workers.

Mercy Chepkurui Koskey and Mary Nduta Wanyoro were enjoying their evening when a confrontation ensued at around 3am.

Ms Chepkurui accidentally stepped on Nduta at the entrance of the club and although she immediately apologised, Nduta did not accept the apology and responded by slapping her friend.

A fight broke out between them and customers in the bar quickly intervened to stop it. They also advised Ms Chepkurui to go home, which she initially did.

However, the night took a tragic turn when Ms Chepkurui returned with a kitchen knife hidden in her underpants and approached Nduta who was conversing with another woman whom she gave Sh200 to go to the counter to order a drink.

But once the woman left, Ms Chepkurui, a mother of two, removed the kitchen knife and stabbed Nduta in the neck before fleeing the scene.

Some customers ran from the pub while others attempted to assist Nduta rushing her to a clinic where she was confirmed dead on arrival.

The incident was reported to Salgaa Police Station where detectives launched an investigation and traced the accused to the house of a Nyumba Kumi elder where she was arrested.

The mother of two was charged with murder which she initially denied but later changed her plea to guilty.

The Directorate of Public Prosecutions has now recommended a 20-year jail sentence for the commercial sex worker who admitted killing her colleague following a brawl.

The DPP, in a plea bargain agreement with Ms Chepkurui, proposed the sentence as a substitute for a death sentence after she agreed to plead guilty to the murder charge.

“The republic agrees to recommend a lesser sentence of 20 years imprisonment other than the penalty of death for the charge of murder as provided for under section 204 of the penal code,” read part of the plea bargain agreement dated June 12 and presented before the court on Wednesday.

Ms Chepkurui admitted to having been in the commercial sex work for six years after separating from her husband.

Nduta on the other hand has three children born of different fathers.

Justice Samuel Muhochi directed that the case be mentioned on July 29.