Western Regional Coordinator Mongo Chimwaga said Julius Thaimutia is said to have brutally killed Zipporah Nkirote and her daughter, Glory Kendi, in Matayos Sub-County on Thursday in Busia then fled to Eldoret where he was arrested.
He is being detained at Baharini Police Station. Mr Chimwaga said he will be arraigned in court to face murder charges.
Mr Chimwaga said they are also holding Maurice Muriiti, son to the deceased to help unravel the deaths. Mr Muriiti has been living with the deceased but was away at the time of the incident. He is being held at the Busia Police Station.
The 50-year-old was a Public Health Officer at the Matayos health centre.
In an interview with Sunday Standard, Chimwaga said Ms Nkirote was found in a pool of blood beside her bed. She had deep cuts on her left arm and her stomach slit. The six-year-old girl on the other hand was found on the bed with deep multiple stab wounds on her right side of the neck.
A knife and a metal bar were recovered and have been retained as exhibits. The bodies were moved to Busia County Referral Hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem.
A nurse who sought anonymity said the deceased had three children, but two from a previous relationship.
The suspect is said to have resigned from his job as an engineer to live with the deceased in Busia in a bid to ensure she is not seen by other men. It is believed he had another family in Eldoret.
The nurse revealed that Thaimutia had previously attempted to burn their house with petrol but the deceased thwarted his efforts. She said the suspect had on several occasions accused the deceased of infidelity.
Matayos Assistant County Commissioner Sheilah Lagat has appealed to residents to embrace dialogue to resolve their marital differences as opposed to slaughtering one another.
“We should live in peace and harmony. Families should desist from attacking each other with crude weapons,” urged Ms Lagat.
