Man beheads wife, son and sets house ablaze

By PETERSON GITHAIGA

Machakos, Kenya: A man hacked his wife and son to death and later attempted to set their house on fire at Mlolongo Market in Machakos County.

The 60-year-old man beheaded his wife aged 25 and his one-year-old son and inflicted deep cuts on the woman’s body.  

Police recovered an axe and a kitchen knife used in the murder that shocked residents. The suspect fled after the killings.

The caretaker of the residential plot, Steve Mwendo, stumbled on the bodies after he went to check the house when he noticed smoke billowing at 5am.

“I first thought it was an electric fault that was causing the smoke and rushed to the main switch to put the power off,” said Mr Mwendo.

He told The Standard on Saturday that when he opened the couple’s door he was shocked to find the bodies of the woman and child lying in a pool of blood while some clothes had been set on fire.

“I tried calling the house owners several times but no response was forthcoming and that is when I decided to open the door, which was locked, from the outside. I was shocked to find the bodies of the two lying in a pool of blood,” he said.

Mwendo said that the family, which has lived on the plot for at least six months, had been having domestic disputes.

Residents managed to put the fire out before it spread. The woman was a housewife while the husband is said to be a casual labourer.

Mlolongo Assistant County Commissioner Robert Okumu termed the incident very unfortunate and suspected the murder could have resulted from a domestic quarrel.

“It is worrying that some people opt to resolve domestic disputes through such bizarre killings. It is prudent for families to look for alternative ways to resolve conflicts rather than end lives, including those of innocent children,” said Mr Okumu.

Athi River police officer Beatrice Kiraguri confirmed the incident and said they were pursing the suspect.

She appealed to anyone with information that could lead to his arrest to inform the police.

The bodies of the woman and child were removed to the City Mortuary in Nairobi.