Man slashes family in fit of rage in Kisumu
Residents of Kamagaga village view the remains of a house whose owner torched before slashing his wife, son and sister in-law in Awasi over domestic differences. Photo/JACOB OWITI
What you need to know:
- Suspect turns machete on his inherited wife, her sons and sister after accusing her of cheating
- Four victims fighting for their lives in Kisumu hospitals
A woman and her son are fighting for their lives at a Kisumu hospital after they were attacked by a man they called husband and father, respectively.
The two patients at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital suffered deep cuts when the suspect descended on them with a machete on Sunday night.
The man, who inherited the woman seven years ago, also torched her house and slashed her sister and another son.
The woman’s sister, 24, who is nursing her injuries at Hope Hospital in Awasi, said the couple did not have problems before the midnight fit of rage.
“My sister was planning to go to Ahero in the morning and when the husband questioned me on who had invited her, I told him she was going to visit our elder sister,” she told Nation on Monday.
The cane cutter, 32, allegedly accused his inherited wife,29, of having an affair with another man.
“He asked me for a match box, walked out and on returning, he poured paraffin on his wife’s and my mattresses and struck the matchbox,” she said.
On setting the bedding alight, the suspect allegedly rushed to the door and closed it from outside.
“I woke up my sister so that we could escape but to our surprise, the man was waiting for us at the door step,” the woman said. “My sister was the first one to get to the door. Immediately, I heard a scream. She went down with deep cuts on the head, neck and face and she was bleeding profusely.”
A similar fate befell the boy who rushed to see what had befallen his screaming mother.
The woman’s sister and the other son, also admitted to Hope Hospital, sustained minor injuries.
“The only person who escaped the machete slash, was my eight-month-old baby, whom he got hold of and threw into a nearby bush. He was rescued in the morning crying helplessly,” she said.
A neighbour, Mr Charles Ounda, said he responded to the woman’s alarm only to find her house going up in flames.
“The four were lying helplessly in a pool of blood waiting for anyone who could come to their rescue,” he added.
He called his friends and rushed the injured to hospital.
Police in Nyando told the Nation that they were hunting for the suspect from Kamagaga Village in Awasi, Muhoroni District, as they investigate the incident.
