Woman's body found inside dumped coffin

Western region Senior police officers led by Western region DCI David Cheruiyot addresses press at Kakamega police headquarters. [PHOTO: BENJAMIN SAKWA/STANDARD]

A woman's body has been found inside a coffin that was dumped on the banks of River Yala.

The body was discovered yesterday morning by sand harvesters near Iguhu bridge on the Kakamega-Kisumu highway. The head and legs were missing.

“When the coffin was opened, a rotting body was found inside with the head and legs chopped off. We can't tell where the woman comes from since most of the body parts were mutilated,” said Jackson Onyango, one of the sand harvesters.

Western region Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) David Cheruiyot said preliminary investigations showed that the woman was killed elsewhere and her body dumped by the river.

The body was taken to the Kakamega Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary.

In another incident, two children died when a fire razed their house in Butenje village in Navakholo constituency yesterday morning.

The cause of the fire was not immediately established.

Paul Mumia, the children's father, said the family had breakfast at around 7.30am before he went to his farm, leaving the children, aged three years and three months, asleep.

Mr Mumia said after 20 minutes, he saw smoke coming from the house and ran back.

“When I reached the house, the fire had spread," he said.