'She attacked me', says man suspected of killing wife and her cousin

Sebastian Kamande, 28, is suspected to have killed his wife and her friend after serving them poisoned food. [DCI, Twitter]

A man suspected of killing his wife and her cousin now claims he escaped from their house after she attacked him.

In his narration of the last moments together, Sebastian Kamande says he had settled differences with his wife Rahab Gathoni.

But, according to Kamande's statement to the police, he confronted Gathoni after she attacked him as he slept.

The bodies of Gathoni and Abigael Gathoni were found in a house in Dandora, Nairobi, on March 29.

But Kamande, who arrested two days later, denies killing the women.

According to the suspect, Rahab and Abigael spent the day in the house. The wife had returned to their house two days earlier after a week of separation.

On the night of March 28, Kamande says he returned home from his workshop at about 8.30pm, and offered to make supper. 

He prepared rice and beef stew for the women, but made Ugali and cabbage for himself.

He retired to bed at around 11pm and left the cousins watching a movie.

But at about 5am, Kamande says his wife attacked him in bed. He fought back, punching her once in the head. He then left the house.

A postmortem examination by government pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor indicated the women were suffocated. The report said Abigail had strangulation marks on her neck.

Police had at first suspected that the two ate poisoned food.

But the 28-year-old suspect denied serving food laced with poison and suffocating his wife and her cousin.

Last week, investigators revisited the house where the two women were found dead and recovered a blood-stained rolling pin, which they believe is a murder weapon.

The suspects brother, Bernard Kamande, had told the police that he called him claiming that police or neighbours were likely to break into the house.

Mr Kamande tried several times to reach his brother in vain. He immediately went to the house where his brother lived with his wife.

On reaching the place, he found the door locked from outside. The lights were on but despite persistent knocks on the door, there was no response.

Mr Kamande sought help from the Dandora Police Station. Officers who accompanied him, together with neighbours, broke into the two-room house.

They found the bodies of the two women lying side by side in a bed. One of them had blood oozing from her ears and mouth.

In the sitting room were two plates of rice the two women are believed to have had for supper.