A woman and her son were killed by a gang that raided their home at Muguguku village in Njoro Sub-county on Saturday night.

Margaret Wairimu, 40, and Daniel Mungai, 15, were attacked by criminals who broke into their house while they were asleep, according to Nakuru Police commander Stephen Matu.

“We received shocking news of a woman and her son who were attacked and brutally killed in their house,” said Mr Matu.

The crime was reported by a neighbour who found the door to the woman's house closed from outside yesterday morning. The neighbour was curious after he saw blood stains on the doorstep.

He informed other neighbours and members of Nyumba Kumi initiative, who went to the scene and found bodies of the two lying in a pool of blood. According to Matu, the two had deep cuts on their faces and heads.

“Though we did not recover murder weapons, preliminary investigations indicate that the two were slit to death with a panga,” said Matu. The bodies were taken to Egerton University morgue.

Neighbours told The Standard the woman, a farmer, went to Njoro six months ago. "It is scaring to have daring criminals breaking into houses to steal and kill people. We need proper investigations into the matter," said Beatrice Muthoni.

Cases of homicide are on the rise in Nakuru, according to police records. Last week, a 35-year-old businessman was killed by armed criminals who broke into his house at Twenty Acres farm in Molo Sub-county.

Daniel Maina Thuo was killed and his wife Judy Chebet, 25, also injured by the criminals. According to preliminary investigations, the criminals were five.

When the thugs broke in, they first ordered the couple to give them money or be killed. The thugs ransacked the house for valuables and brutally attacked Thuo with a machette, leaving him for the dead.

Thuo succumbed to multiple deep cuts on his head, hands, right knee and his back. Chebet had a deep cut on her right leg. The woman had attempted to scream for help, but she was threatened by the criminals, who then ordered her to lie down as they ransacked the house.

The criminals took the couple's three mobile phones, two land title deeds, Thuo's driving license and his jacket. They later disappeared into maize plantation.

“We arrested one suspect linked to murder of the businessman in Molo, and efforts have been intensified to arrest more,” said Matu.