By Patrick Mathangani
One morning last month, the nation woke up to grim news. A man had killed his five children in Korogocho, one of Nairobi’s poorest ghettos, and gone into hiding.
When police arrested him and locked him up, he allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself with a piece of cloth he had meticulously woven into a rope. His body was found dangling from the roof of his cell.
The family tragedy left many angry and asking why children had to die because the man had argued with his wife. Similar heart-wrenching stories of people killing close family members have baffled the nation in recent months.
An analysis of the recent family murders produces startling findings: The killings are spontaneous, often unplanned, and are committed without any apparent malice.
Observers say they are consistent with many cases reported across the country over the years.
“There are very few real murders in Kenya,” says Pravin Bowry, a leading criminal lawyer. “Most are not planned and seem to be committed by people well known by their victims.”
He says up to 80 per cent of murders are committed in “the heat of the moment”.
Psychiatrists and social experts now say pressures within the family have pushed couples to the breaking point, and blame depression for the blood letting.
The paradox is that in many of these cases, people kill close family members because they love them.
“A suicidal mother will kill her children and say she does not want to die and leave them suffering,” says David Ndetei, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Nairobi. Prof Ndetei is also the founder and director of Africa Mental Health Foundation.
Even more astounding is that studies have shown that these murders surge during festive seasons, especially Christmas and Easter. In Kenya, one is also more likely to be killed on a weekend by people close and well known to him or her.
Out of 18 such deaths in the last five months, 14 occurred during a holiday or on a weekend.
These are times when people have high expectations from those they depend on, and breadwinners feel the pressure most.
“You tend to get killed near your home, in the sitting room, bedroom or in the kitchen,” says Ndetei, citing local and international studies.
In a research paper titled Some Social-Psychological Characteristics of Criminal Homicide in Kenya, Ndetei and Dr Florence Muli found that the most likely murder weapon is a domestic tool, such as a kitchen knife or an axe. The situation is similar in neighbouring Uganda.
Unlike “criminal murders” such as during violent robberies, killers at home usually present themselves to authorities and confess their actions. Where they fail to report to the police, they are apprehended within a short period, often near their homes.
In a case last November where a man killed his four children in Nyabera village, Kisii County, he called residents and told them where he had hidden their bodies. In his rage, following a domestic spat with his wife, he had gouged out their eyes.
Killings in the family are blamed on deteriorating mental health in the country, which has put little emphasis on the psychological well being of its citizens. With a population of 40 million, Kenya has 83 psychiatrists. This means there is only one psychiatrist for every 500,000 people.
Depression is cited as the commonest cause of the grisly murders. This is a mental condition where people feel extremely unhappy. They cannot enjoy anything and find little purpose in life.
They get irritated easily, while others feel suicidal. Often, a husband will blame himself for failing to provide for his family, and will be overwhelmed by a feeling of hopelessness and guilt. A mother will feel dejected to see her children sleeping hungry, skipping school for lack of fees, or suffering at home because she cannot raise money to take them to hospital.
People are also emotionally hurt more by those they love, and react with deadly consequences.
However, there is little awareness on mental health. “In many cases, people do not know that they are sick, that they need medical attention. Neither do their relatives,” says Ndetei, adding the sickness is left to fester for long periods.
According to gunpolicy.org, which tracks gun use and crime around the world, there were 1,800 murders in Kenya in 2010. This compares to 1,864 the previous year, and 7,733 in 2008. Data was not available for 2011 and last year.
But Eldoret Catholic Bishop Cornelius Korir blames the violence on a society that he says has put material wealth before life.
“People are viewed as a source of income. If you cannot provide for the family, then you are useless,” he says.
He cites cases where parents have killed their children for losing as little as Sh50 to illustrate the extent to which people’s actions are controlled by material considerations.
The traditional extended family, where people would get help from relatives, is also crumbling, says Korir.
“You find both parents are jobless and there’s no one to help.”
Dr Catherine Syengo Mutisya, a consultant psychiatrist, says clinics at Nairobi’s Mathari Hospital receive eight murder suspects on average every week. Here, they are expected to undergo examinations to establish their state of mind. The hospital, which is known for handling mental cases, is a referral facility.
She says a good number of patients accused of murder had killed close family members. However, even courts of law acknowledge the complex nature of family murders. In many cases reported across the country, killers get away with light sentences or are set free altogether. Usually, the suspects are charged with murder, which is later reduced to manslaughter after considering the circumstances of the crime. Murder is punishable by death, according to the Penal Code. A manslaughter charge is put forward when it is established that the suspect had no intention to kill.
However, Kenya has not hanged death row convicts for three decades.
Bowry says defences for manslaughter include provocation, self-defence, accidental killing, insanity or drunkenness.
“When a father kills a son because he abused him, this is considered a mitigating factor,” explains Bowry. “Judges have the discretion to decide on the best way to deal with these cases.”
However, relatives and friends of victims may feel a sense of injustice when culprits are let off with light sentences. Bowry notes a uniqueness in murders reported by police or presented in court, saying very few show evidence that the culprits planned to kill their victims. This, he says, differs sharply with those in Western countries, where suspects often kill after long hours and days of planning.
