Man allegedly kills mother in Mukuru kwa Njenga slums

Police load the body of 52-year old Mary Ndung'e into their van. [Okumu Modachi, Standard]

Police are investigating the brutal killing of a 52-year-old woman whose body was found in a pool of blood on Tuesday morning at her rented house in Nairobi’s Mukuru kwa Njenga slums.  

Mary Ndunge’s death has left the neighbourhood reeling in shock, with witness accounts saying her life was cut short under horrifying circumstances.  

The prime suspect, according to witnesses, is her lastborn son in his mid-twenties who lived with her. According to Alex Machogu, the caretaker of the residential plot, the events leading to the discovery of her body have raised suspicion and concern among residents. 

He said the young man in question had appeared calm and unproblematic days before the incident. However, suspicion began to mount when inconsistencies emerged regarding the son’s financial situation. 

“At one point, he had no money, but suddenly he was seen handling a lot of cash. We did not understand where it came from,” Machogu stated.

The caretaker further revealed that the woman is believed to have died several days before her body was discovered, based on a strong smell that had begun to emanate from the house. “From the condition and the smell, it is likely she died days earlier. The odour had spread through the house,” a neighbour who did not want to be named told The Standard. 

“Today (Tuesday) morning, he (suspect) made a rash from the house and quickly came back. From his behaviour, something was amiss,” he added.  

This publication observed Ndunge’s house in a mess, with furniture overturned, belongings scattered, and visible traces of blood, indicating that there was a violent struggle. “The television had fallen, and things were scattered, which suggests there was a struggle before her death,” Machogu narrated. 

The suspect, he observed, had on Tuesday morning attempted to seek the attention of a medic in a nearby pharmacy to “check on the condition of the mother” leading to the discovery of the lifeless body.