A family in Kaptembwo, Nakuru is mourning after their patriarch was doused in acid by his wife.
Elijah Matoke Maina, 52, was reportedly attacked by his second wife Ruth Jelang’at on December 5, 2024, at around 6 am in a suspected domestic dispute.
Lilian Magomera, a neighbor, explained that on the fateful morning, they were woken up by Matoke’s distress call.
“I found him on the couch crying saying he was dying. Though he had a dark complexion, he had turned pink. His two children told me that acid had been poured on him,” said Magomera.
The neighbours rushed Matoke to Nakuru Level Five Hospital where he succumbed to internal and external burns from the acid.
Bernard Angwenyi, the deceased’s brother said that he when arrived at the hospital he found him in pain but Jelang’at immediately left.
“When my brother informed me what had happened, I called Kaptembwo Police Station. When she presented herself there, she was arrested. We then went to the crime scene with the police,” said Angwenyi.
He claimed that before she surrendered to the police, Jelang’at returned to the house where she took Matoke’s phone and some of his documents.
“She made three attempts to withdraw money from Matoke’s phone using the wrong PIN and the account was blocked. We also established that two title deeds were missing,” he claimed.
Angwenyi alleged that the attack on Matoke was premeditated and should be treated as attempted murder.
He claimed that this was not the first Jelang’at had attacked Matoke.
“This was a planned attack on my brother. They did not need or use acid in the household. She had obtained it, kept it in the house, and poured it on Matoke at his vulnerable moment,” he claimed.
Clarice Mughoi, the deceased’s firstborn said that at the hospital, her father confided in them that their stepmother woke up at around 5 am and started perusing through his documents while shouting at him.
“He told us that she left the bedroom and returned with a jerrican which he thought had water. It wasn't until it was poured on his face that he realized it was a corrosive substance,” claimed Mughoi.
She alleged that Jelang’at was abusive and had blocked the first wife’s children from accessing their father.
“Our father had even come up with a coded message telling us he wasn’t comfortable on phone conversations as our stepmother had warned him against communicating with us,” said Mughoi.
Area chief Vincent Siro who is among those who responded to the distress call said that at first, Jelang’at had reported the incident as having been committed by an unknown person.
However, preliminary investigations have allegedly linked Jelang’at to the crime with her son Godwin Amutamwa accused of interfering with the crime scene.
“A highly corrosive substance had been poured on the mattress. We recovered a container that had the acid used. We also arrested the woman’s son who had removed the bedding and hid them in a different house which was an interference with evidence,” claimed Mr Siro.
Alvin Masiemo, a neighbor who has known Matoke since 2007 described him as a hardworking man whose attack came as a shock to many who knew him.
“We didn’t know that he was being mistreated in his own house. He was an active participant in community development and contributor on various radio shows,” said Masiemo.
Eric Makori, a cousin to the deceased termed the incident as regrettable and called for the protection of women and men against all forms of gender-based violence which are on the rise.
“Many men suffer in silence at the hands of abusive spouses. Those courageous to speak out are downplayed unlike women whose cases are responded to promptly,” said Makori.
