Residents of Karai trading centre in Naivasha on Sunday morning found an elderly woman murdered after she was sexually abused.
The body of the woman who was living alone was found by one of her siblings who came to check on her after she failed to pick his calls.
A carpenter hired to repair the family seats is suspected to have killed the woman using a hammer before fleeing.
Police managed to recover a hammer from the scene as well as other evidence to aid investigations.
A relative identified only as Julius said all fingers pointed to the carpenter who has since gone into hiding.
“The deceased woman has several injuries on the head inflicted by a blunt object,” he said.
Meanwhile, at Longonot Trading Centre, a father of three committed suicide following a domestic row with his wife.
The casual labourer's body was found hanging in his room before police moved in to collect it.
According to witness Adam Kariuki, the couple had on various occasions fallen out over the deceased's drinking habits before he decided to take his life.
He said the deceased was last seen the previous evening in the area shopping centre before his body was found hanging in his three-roomed house.
“The family has a troubled history due to the man's drinking habits. We never thought the man would end up committing suicide,” he said.
Kariuki expressed concern over an increase in cases of suicide in the semi-arid region mainly involving relatively young men.
“We have seen a trend where young men are committing suicide in this area due to depression and family disputes and its time action was taken,” he said.
Naivasha OCPD Samuel Waweru confirmed both incidents, adding that the bodies had been collected and inquest files opened.
“In the murder case we are seeking the carpenter to record a statement as he has gone missing while in the suicide case the family has recorded a statement with our officers,” he said.
