Man in Baringo kills wife after she ‘pesters’ him to buy his children Christmas gifts
Samson Lebene (2nd left) after he was arraigned in a Kabarnet court on December 22, 2016 on charges of killing his wife. He allegedly hacked his wife to death at Loropil in Baringo South Sub-County following a quarrel over Christmas gifts for his children. PHOTO |CHEBOITE KIGEN | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- According to Ms Sylvia Lebene, one of his daughters, the feud began on Tuesday night.
- She said early Wednesday morning, their father ordered them to go and fetch water in Lake Baringo.
- On returning they found their mother lying in a pool of blood, dead.
- The man was arrested and charged with murder in a Kabarnet court.
A village in Baringo County is in shock after a man hacked his wife to death with a machete following a dispute over a Christmas gift.
The man, identified as Samson Lebene from Loropil Village in Baringo South Sub-County, is said to have been enraged by persistent queries from his wife who was demanding to know what he intended to buy their eight children for Christmas.
According to Ms Sylvia Lebene, one of his daughters, the feud began on Tuesday night.
“My mother had asked our father what plans he had for us during this festivities and whether he would buy us gifts,” she says.
“A quarrel between the two ensued and we were ordered to go to bed as they discussed the issue. We obliged,” she went on.
She said early Wednesday morning, their father ordered them to go and fetch water in Lake Baringo.
POOL OF BLOOD
“It appeared to us that everything had been resolved. We went to Lake Baringo as requested but when we returned back home, we found a lot of people in our compound and wondered what had happened,” she said.
“It later dawned on us that our mother had been hacked to death. Her body lay on the ground in a pool of blood. My dad on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen,” Sylvia added.
When the Nation visited the village, neighbours were huddled in groups, discussing the incident in low tones.
They described the attacker as a humble man who always keeps to himself.
“We are perturbed by what this man has done because he is usually silent and keeps to himself. In fact no one can even access his house because it is ever under lock and key,” said Mr Gideon ole Kipir, a neighbour.
CURSED
He said that according to the Ilchamus culture, a man who kills a woman is cursed and can even be excommunicated from the community.
“I am lost for words because we have never seen such kind of weird incidences in this community. This is a big blow and we do not even know how his children will survive because they are still very young,” he went on.
Contacted, Baringo South OCPD Otulia Kaunya said the suspect was arrested on Wednesday evening and was arraigned in court Thursday to answer to murder charges.
“The suspect was arrested at Loropil in Baringo South and was arraigned in court on Thursday where he appeared before Kabarnet Resident Magistrate Ezra Ayuka,” he said.
“However, the prosecution requested for 10 more days to enable them complete their investigations. The suspect is currently at the Marigat Police station,” said Mr Kaunya.
Ilchamus Ward Rep Wesley Lekakimon condemned the incident.
She urged members of the public to desist from taking the law into their own hands.
“We should always learn to solve issues in a better way and not resorting to killing one another, especially during this festive season,” he said.
The deceased’s body was taken to Kabarnet District Hospital mortuary.
