The police in Murang'a County have arrested a man accused of killing his four-month-old daughter after he reportedly said he doubted if he was the minor's father.

Mark Njuguna,23, is said to have first ordered his wife Mary Muthoni not to breastfeed the baby before smashing her on the concrete floor and killing her on the spot at their Kihumbuini home in Gatanga.

Muthoni said Njuguna warned her of dire consequences if she raised an alarm following the 1am incident.

However, Muthoni managed to sneak out of the house and alerted her father-in-law Samuel Kiguro and some neighbours who arrested the suspect and took him to Kihumbuini Police Station where he has been booked as the police investigate the incident.

Kiguro said his son has been abusing drugs. "He has also been drinking alcohol a lot. Last year, we took him for rehabilitation. We hoped to deal with his addiction especially after he threatened family members," he said.

He added: "My son has issues. His wife has been a victim of his behaviour. He has been beating and threatening my daughter-in-law. The other day, he threatened to kill his own mother."

Area county police commander Donatha Kiplangat said: "It is unfortunate that we have lost a child in this manner. If the matter had been reported, maybe the suspect could have been assisted through counseling."

Ms Kiplangat said they are investigating the incident adding that the suspect will undergo a mental test before the murder charges are preferred against him.

Some neighbours said the suspect was weird but nobody thought he could kill.