Grief as Murang’a man butchers his two children

Murang’a

Monday, August 7, 2023

KNA by Bernard Munyao

Shock and grief engulfed residents of Muguanyoni Village of Kahuro Sub County in Murang’a after a 28 year old man allegedly killed his two young boys.

The bodies of the boys aged seven and three were found by villagers on Sunday at around 10pm lying in a pool of blood in the house of their father, Evans Kang’ethe.

Villagers suspected that the man who is still at large committed the brutal murder during the daytime on Sunday before fleeing to an unknown place.

Kang’ethe is said to have been living with his two children after they separated with his wife some weeks ago.

The suspect’s mother Anne Njeri said she noticed that the two children were missing and alerted neighbours who came and after breaking into the house of Kang’ethe they found the bodies lying on the floor with slit throats.

The distraught mother lamented that in the recent past, her son was bitter and looked frustrated after he was left by his wife.

Njeri added that Kang’ethe was not even respectful to his parents, citing an incident where he assaulted his father while demanding to be given a piece of land.

Some of the residents who spoke to KNA said the man was struggling to take care of his children after his wife left.

One of the local residents who sought anonymity, said Kang’ethe had earlier sent a message to one of his cousins saying he had killed his children.

“When we arrived at the home, we forced our way to his house and found the bodies of the young boys lying on the floor. He used a knife which we found with blood stains to slit the throats of the two children,” explained the resident.

Mary Waithera, a neighbour, said it was tragic that the suspect ended the lives of two innocent children urging security apparatus to search and apprehend Kang’ethe.

She called upon women to ensure they take their children with them when they disagree with their husbands as they are natural nurturers and are better able to tend to children.

Kahuro Deputy County Commissioner Fredrick Muli said it was unfortunate for one to end the lives of young children.

He suspected the man committed the crime while under the influence of bhang saying he had past records of smoking bhang.

“The matter has been taken over by the criminal investigation department and we hope the man will be arrested within a short period of time to face the law. The bodies were taken to Muriranja’s hospital mortuary for postmortem,” said Muli.

The DCC called for better ways of solving family wrangles, calling upon residents to use legal channels to address their differences instead of resorting to murder.

Courtesy ; K. N. A