Crime Scene
Police in Mombasa and Kirinyaga counties are investigating two separate tragedies that have left families and communities in shock.
In Likoni, Mombasa County, a 24-year-old Burundian woman was found dead in her house in what police suspect was a suicide by poisoning.
The body of Jeannette Niyokwizera, who worked as a shop attendant, was discovered lying on a mattress with foam coming from her mouth and nose.
Next to her was the body of her cat, which is also believed to have ingested the poisonous substance.
Niyokwizera’s friends and relatives became alarmed when she failed to report to work. They went to check on her and, finding the house locked from the inside, alerted police.
Together, they forced the door open and found her body.
Police have moved the body to the mortuary for a post-mortem examination as investigations continue. The motive for the suspected suicide remains unclear.
Meanwhile, in Mwea, Kirinyaga County, a man who was suspected of killing his wife and two daughters before setting their house on fire has died in hospital from burn injuries.
Julius Mwangi, 63, succumbed on August 27 while undergoing treatment at Mwea Mission Karira Hospital, where he had been admitted with 25 percent burns.
The incident occurred on August 16 in Ngurubani town, where the charred bodies of Mwangi’s wife, Winnie Njeri, 50, and their daughters, Grace Wawira, 13, and Ivyjune Njoki, 4, were recovered from the family’s rented house.
Mwangi had initially told police that unknown attackers stormed the house, killed his family, and set it on fire. However, investigators said preliminary findings pointed to him as the main suspect.
A night watchman told police he heard the couple arguing shortly before the fire broke out around 1 a.m. He raised the alarm after seeing flames engulf the house. Mwangi was rescued by a boda boda rider who rushed him to the hospital.
Confirming his death, Mwangi’s son Samuel said his father died at about 3 p.m. on Wednesday. “My father passed away while undergoing treatment,” he said.
Police say investigations are still ongoing to establish the circumstances that led to the deaths.
Meanwhile, locals are preparing for the burial of the deceased family members even as detectives continue to piece together evidence surrounding the case.
