Lari man slashes wife to death, harms 16-year-old daughter

A 56-year-old man from Lari Constituency in Kiambu County died by suicide on Saturday, October 29 after killing his wife and harming his 16-year-old step-daughter, police said.

Benson Wanjohi is alleged to have fatally slashed his spouse Alice Njeri at their Kimende home in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

It is further alleged that Wanjohi slashed his teenage step-daughter in the arms when the girl attempted to shield her mother during the attack.

Wanjohi is reported to have, thereafter, died by suicide.

It remains unclear what led to the tragic attacks, though neighbours told The Standard that Wanjohi and Njeri had marital problems.

Confirming the incident, Lari Sub-County Police Commander Adamson Furaha said the bodies of Wanjohi and his spouse were taken to Uplands Funeral Home in Kiambu.

"We had received reports that the couple had, of late, been having domestic problems. One of the relatives said that Wanjohi and Njeri had, on three occasions, reported their marital problems to the area chief for assistance," said Furaha.

The area police boss said Njeri was Wanjohi's second wife after his first wife died a few years ago.

"He married Njeri when she was already a mother of a 16-year-old child," said Furaha.

The couple's teenage daughter, who sustained serious injuries during the attack, was taken to Tigoni Level 4 Hospital and, thereafter, referred to the AIC Kijabe Mission Hospital, where she is recuperating.

Police said the girl's mother succumbed to her injuries at the scene of attack.

"She was slashed in different parts of her body, including the head," said the area Sub-County Police Commander Adamson Furaha.

The suspect, thereafter, died by hanging a few metres from the scene.