Man arrested over death of expectant wife

Christmas turned tragic for a family in Nairobi after a man allegedly beat his pregnant wife to death.

Neighbours in the city’s Umoja Inner Core estate were left in shock following Njeri Kariuki's death, after falling victim to domestic violence.

It is alleged the couple engaged in a quarrel on Christmas day after the husband arrived home drunk and they began fighting.

Noise from their house alerted neighbours who then offered shelter to the woman after she escaped from her husband’s grip.

It is said she bled to death after the husband allegedly ignored incessant pleas from the neighbours to take her to hospital for medical attention.

“We alerted him of his wife’s condition, but he ignored. When he eventually came, he instead worsened the situation by slapping her twice and said ‘don’t worry, she will be okay,” said a neighbour.

It is suspected that the woman succumbed to injuries overnight after her body was discovered in the early hours of Friday in the house where she had sought shelter.

When The Standard on Saturday visited Friday, the man had been arrested and taken to Buruburu Police Station.

Neighbours, however, temporarily abandoned Christmas celebrations to monitor developments at the empty house. The couple had no child.

Although the motive of the killing is not clear, witnesses claim that the couple had marital problems and quarreled frequently.

“It is difficult to tell exactly what was behind their differences. They mostly kept to themselves,” a witness said.

Domestic violence has been on the increase with many of them going unreported, according to gender activists. Financial constraints, alcoholism, infidelity and other stress related issues have been cited as the main causes of the worrying trend.