Relatives beat girl to death over marriage

A teenage girl has been beaten to death by her relatives for allegedly getting married against their wishes.

According to neighbours in Eldoret’s Langas Estate, 16-year-old Christine Nanjala was taken away from her the house of her “husband” by her relatives.

On reaching home, she was beaten for four hours, leading to her death.

The relatives were said to have been opposed to the marriage of the girl, whom they said was a Standard Seven dropout.

“The girl got married two months ago in the neighbourhood. On Friday, her close relatives in the company of three other people took her home and gave her a brutal beating,” said a neighbour, Ms Anne Waithera.

When neighbours learnt of the girl’s death, the relatives allegedly told them to keep it a secret. But some relatives opposed to the beating reported the incident to the police.

Eldoret police boss Kioko Muinde said three people have been arrested.

Separately, a victim of the Kwanza fire in Trans Nzoia in which a jilted husband allegedly burnt his mother-in-law’s house with petrol has died.

Dorcus Nelima, the man’s wife, died in hospital on Monday, bringing the number of deaths to two. Eight other family members are in hospital.