Woman, 28, stabs son to death then attempts suicide

Police and residents at the scene where the body of a child thought to have been stabbed to death by his mother lay on Saturday at Engacura village in Bahati, Nakuru County. [Kennedy Gachuhi, Standard]

Two children were killed by their parents in two separate incidents at the weekend.

In the first incident, a 27-year-old man from Kisayani in Mutomo, Kitui County, on Saturday cut his daughter’s throat using a machete. He then committed suicide by jumping off a cliff.

The killer, Mutinda Masila, had earlier in the day stormed out of his home while dragging along his six-year-old daughter after a quarrel with his wife.

His wife was not at home when he killed the child.

After killing the minor, the man dumped her body in his farm. A note he had left behind before he committed suicide directed the family to where the body was.

In the note, Masila threatened to end his life, citing irreconcilable differences with his wife, adding that she would never know peace.

After collecting the child’s body, police, with the help of locals, spent the better part of Saturday looking for the suspect thought to have been hiding in Kamukenge Hills.

Spotted on cliff

At around 6pm, they spotted him standing atop a cliff on the hills and tried to persuade him to come down.

Mutomo Deputy county commissioner Jacob Ouma said the suspect jumped off the cliff and died on the spot.

“He flatly refused to come down despite pleas from the police and the locals. He opted to commit suicide as he had threatened earlier,” said Ouma.

The bodies were taken to Mutomo Mission Hospital mortuary. The young family had one child. In the note, Masila directed his father to inherit his property. 

Elsewhere in Kiamaina village in Bahati, Nakuru County, residents were shocked to find a 28-year-old woman who had allegedly killed her son writhing in pain after stabbing herself several times in a suicide attempt.

The woman reportedly killed her five-year-old son by stabbing him four times in the chest using a kitchen knife.

It was not immediately clear why she attacked the boy and tried to kill herself.

“Yesterday she was very jovial at her shop, which has been doing well. She has always shown love to her son. Why she did this is a shock to us. At times she appeared disturbed, but kept to herself,” said Emily Arandi, a neighbour.

According to Kiamaina MCA Isaac Wahome, who was also a neighbour, the single mother of one might have turned the knife on herself after seeing her son die.

The woman was taken to Bahati Hospital, and later referred to Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital.