Mother in police custody over death of son after alleged punishment for attending 'Disco Matanga', loitering

Boy’s body at Butere hospital mortuary after alleged punishment over “Disco Matanga” attendance in Kakamega. [File Courtesy]

A woman from Butere Constituency in Kakamega County is being held for seven days as police investigate the death of her 10-year-old son, who allegedly died after being severely punished for attending a Disco Matanga and loitering at a local market.

The tragic incident, which has shocked residents of Ebukuti village in Manyalla location, involved a Grade Five pupil at Manyalla Primary School.

According to Butere Sub-County Police Commander (OCPD) Justus Njeu, preliminary investigations indicate that the child died after allegedly being beaten and strangled by his mother.

“The woman disciplined her son for attending Disco Matanga and loitering in one of the local markets and unfortunately, the child died,” said Njeu.

Police said the incident is believed to have occurred on Saturday, although the matter was formally reported to authorities on Sunday, since the woman is a single mother.

Njeu explained that officers visited the home after receiving the report and found the boy already dead inside the house.

“She reported the matter the following day and when we visited the place for processing, we found the boy dead. He had been strangled and from the preliminary investigations, the boy seems to have died on Saturday before the mother reported,” said the OCPD.

According to a police report recorded in the Occurrence Book (OB), the child had allegedly been caned by his mother on May 23, 2026.

Investigators believe the punishment turned tragic after the boy reportedly became seriously ill following the beating.

Police officers who processed the scene found the child’s body lying on a bed with visible injuries, including a swollen neck, bruises on the hands and blood stains coming from the mouth and nose.

The body was later moved to Butere Level Four Hospital mortuary, awaiting postmortem examination, which has since been conducted.

Njeu said the suspect was arrested and arraigned before a Butere court on Thursday, where detectives were granted seven days to detain her to allow completion of investigations.

“We arraigned her and the court gave us seven days to hold her in our custody to complete our investigations. The woman is currently being held at Butere Police Station and we have already done a postmortem. The good thing is that she was alone with the child,” said Njeu.

The incident has sparked outrage and grief among residents, with locals urging parents and guardians to avoid excessive punishment when disciplining children.

Njeu said investigations are ongoing and police are piecing together any information that will be of great importance in the case.