Double tragedy hit a village after a middle-aged man slashed his wife to death before hanging himself at their home in Makunga, Trans Nzoia County on Sunday morning over an alleged love triangle.
A neighbour, Kenedy Barasa, said that he heard a commotion from the couple's house at around 3 am that prompted him and other residents to rush to the house.
Residents were forced to use a grinder to break the metal door as it was locked from inside.
"We found the woman lying in a pool of blood on the bed and the husband had hanged himself using a rope in another room," Barara said adding that he immediately alerted the police who arrived at the scene.
Area chief, Selina Opande identified the victims as Stephen Kagumo and his wife Caren Chebet who, residents said, have never had any domestic fight in the past.
The administrator said Kagumo had arrived at his home at around 9 pm after watching a football match before a fight ensued at around 3 am.
The woman's sister, who was staying with the couple said she was woken up by commotion between her sister and brother-in-law in their bedroom.
"When I rushed to their room, I found my brother-in-law with a machete in his hand quarreling with the wife. When I inquired what it was about, my brother-in-law threatened to kill me," she told residents.
The couple was living in a two-bedroom rented house that they had also converted into a shop.
Neighbours who declined to be named said the cause of the incident emerged from an alleged love affair.
Trans Nzoia County Police Commander, Ayub Ali, said Kagumo attacked his wife, with a machete, hacking her several times.
"The man killed his wife in a heinous manner and then hanged himself. In this kind of situation, I urge couples to always speak out their problems to prevent such incidents," he said.
The bodies were moved to Kitale County Referral Hospital mortuary.
