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A woman was on Wednesday night stabbed to death allegedly by her estranged husband who had pursued her to her parent’s home in Vihiga where she had sought refuge.

The incident has once again laid bare the rising cases of Gender-Based Violence against women in the country.

The suspected assailant, 32-year-old Hannise Simani Juma (now deceased), stabbed to death 30-year-old wife Winnie Akusuha at her parent’s home before taking rat poison and slitting his neck.

She had four deep knife stabs on the right collar bone, deep cuts on the right shoulder, deep cuts behind the head, deep cuts on the right hand and four deep cuts on the left shoulder.

Police recovered from the scene a black hoody, goggles and face mask, rat poison in a bottle, a torch and birth certificates.

The 7 pm incident on Wednesday happened at Kabwareng in Nandi South sub-county.

Couple separated

Nandi South Police Boss Maina Ndurere said the two had separated a week earlier.

Ndurere said they received information from the deceased lady’s father Musa Keya and his wife Mary Ondiso informing them that her daughter had sustained injuries following an attack by her lover.

“Initial investigation indicates the two had separated a week earlier. After the separation the lady decided to travel to her parent’s home in Nandi County with her three children,” said Ndurere.

The two had been staying at Ndonyo estate, in Nairobi.

After deliberation with her parent, it was resolved that Akusuha stays with her parents. “She later talked to her estranged husband requesting some documents of the children to be taken to school in Nandi County,” said Ndurere.

The husband is said to have travelled to Nandi on Wednesday in the guise of delivering the documents.

But on arrival at his in-law’s home, he turned against the wife and attacked her while she was preparing the family’s supper in the kitchen.

Her screams attracted the family members who rushed to the scene and found her writhing in pain in a pool of blood.

“On Wednesday, the parents heard their daughter screaming for help from the kitchen at about 7pm and when they rushed to the kitchen, they found the man armed with a sharp knife stabbing the wife,” the police boss said.

Pronounced dead

She was rescued and rushed to Jumuia Friends Kaimosi Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

“The husband also used the same murder weapon to slit his neck in the kitchen. Some concoction suspected to be poison was also recovered in the kitchen,” said Ndurere.

He was rushed to the same facility where he also succumbed to the injuries.

Ndurere called on couples to resolve their differences amicably instead of resorting to violence.

The two bodies are being kept at Jumuia Friends Kaimosi Hospital mortuary as police begin investigations.

The two left behind three children, a boy and two girls who are now total orphans. Cases of homicide and femicide have been on the rise in the country in the recent past sparking fears.

A recent national survey revealed that 34 per cent of women experienced physical violence in 2022, while the past two months saw the brutal murders of at least six women across different parts of the country.

FIDA-Kenya has called for strengthened regulatory mechanisms for AirBnBs, where some of the reported murder incidents occurred.

Femicide Count Kenya recorded 152 killings last year, the highest in the past five years, with women and human rights activists mentioning that the number could be much higher if the many unreported cases are factored in.

Meanwhile, in Ntaburo village, Isebania, Migori county, one Daniel Moi Maki, 49 was killed in his home in an attack by an assailant known to him.

He sustained deep cuts on the head and was rushed to Bugumbe Health Center for first aid and later referred to Akidiva Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival, police said.

The two are said to have quarrelled elsewhere before the assailant trailed the deceased to his home.

Other incidents

Police said efforts to trace the killer are ongoing.

The body was moved to the mortuary pending autopsy and other investigations. Police said they are investigating the murder in the incident.

In Omosasa village, Ogembo, Kisii County, a 60-year-old man was killed in an attack in his house.

Police officers visited the scene and found the lifeless body of Michael Ondieki Ogero lying with deep cuts on the head and right hand and in a pool of blood.

The body was removed to Lenmek Hospital Morgue for post-mortem.

Efforts to trace and apprehend the suspects are underway, police said of the January 14 incident. The motive of the incident is yet to be known, police said.

Meanwhile, three people died by suicide in separate incidents reported to police. The first incident was reported in Kamulu, Nairobi where a house girl was found dead after a suicide mission.

Police said Dorcas Macharia, 18 died by suicide by hanging herself with a skipping rope that was found tied around her neck inside her house.

A suicide note was found at the scene. The body was removed to Mama Lucy Hospital morgue awaiting autopsy.

In Kawangware, Nairobi, one Roselyne Nekesa, 23 was found dead after a suspected suicide incident.

Her boyfriend said he left for work and came back where found the door to his house wide open and on entering, he found her dead.

She had died by suicide by hanging herself with a tablecloth tied around her neck from one of the roof rafters of their rented house.

No suicide note was found. The body was removed to the City Morgue awaiting postmortem.

In Mbeere, Embu County, one Boniface Nyaga, 43 died by suicide.

He reportedly hanged himself with a cable wire that was found tied around his neck on a tree near his house.

No suicide note was recovered.

The body was moved to Embu Level Five Hospital mortuary for an autopsy.

Police said they are investigating the incidents.