Four men shot dead in dispute over woman
A police reservist, his two relatives and a man they had gone to fine for allegedly sleeping with his wife and siring a child with her were shot dead after a disagreement over negotiations on marital fine at Lokichoggio. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- The dead are a police reservist, his two relatives and a man they had gone to fine for allegedly sleeping with his wife and siring a child with her. The fine is paid in form of livestock.
- The woman had accused her husband of deserting her and denying her sex and a chance to have a baby, shocked residents said yesterday.
- In his absence the woman fell in love with the other man. The lover had admitted responsibility and was taking care of the eight-month-old baby.
Four people were shot dead after a disagreement over negotiations on marital fine at Lokichoggio.
The dead are a police reservist, his two relatives and a man they had gone to fine for allegedly sleeping with his wife and siring a child with her. The fine is paid in form of livestock.
The woman had accused her husband of deserting her and denying her sex and a chance to have a baby, shocked residents said yesterday.
Lokichoggio chief Julius Ilete said the woman’s husband, who worked in Turkana West, also had a lover in Kakuma.
The chief said the couple’s neighbours had told him that the man had not visited his wife for over two years.
TRAGIC TURN
In his absence the woman fell in love with the other man. The lover had admitted responsibility and was taking care of the eight-month-old baby.
The woman is said to have confessed to her husband that the child was not his but her lover’s, who provided everything for the baby, including food.
Elders and the husband’s parents demanded a ritual to be conducted, as it is a taboo in the Turkana culture for a married woman to sleep with a man who is not her husband.
The husband picked up his AK-47 rifle and, accompanied by two relatives, walked to his wife’s lover’s kraal to demand animals to be used in the ritual, according to youth leader Paul Jalinga.
A disagreement arose and the woman’s lover was shot in the leg. He managed to get to his manyatta and returned with a gun, with which he shot his three visitors, killing them on the spot, according to Mr Jalinga.
However, another armed person who was nearby responded and shot him dead.
The incident has sparked tension in the village, especially between the clans of the victims.
“I am holding meetings mainly with the two families in order to end the grudge,” Mr Jalinga said.
