Soldier kills lover, turns gun on self

Police officers and neighbours at a house in Kunda Kindu Estate, Kitui Town, where a KDF soldier shot and killed his girlfriend before killing himself on April 25, 2016. PHOTO | THOMAS WAITA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Neighbours said Fredrick Mutia arrived at Elizabeth Kivuva’s house in Kunda Kindu Estate at 7am when a quarrel ensued.
  • Elizabeth had just locked the house ready to go to work but was forced back into the house, where they quarrelled even more.

  • Another neighbour said the two had been lovers for a long time and the soldier was a regular visitor to the woman’s house.

A Kenya Defence Forces soldier shot and killed his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself in Kitui Town on Monday morning.

Neighbours said Fredrick Mutia, 31, who is based at 77 Artillery Barracks in Mariakani, Mombasa, arrived at Elizabeth Kivuva’s house in Kunda Kindu Estate at 7am when a quarrel ensued. Elizabeth, 24, had just locked the house ready to go to work but was forced back into the house, where they quarrelled even more.

Soon after, a gunshot was heard. Elizabeth emerged bleeding profusely and rushed into a neighbour’s house. She had been shot in the chest.

The assailant followed her but the neighbour refused to open the door.

“Then Elizabeth fell on the floor and that was the end of her; she died,” said the secondary school student, who did not wish to be named.

Another neighbour, a student at Kenya Medical Training College, Kitui Campus, said the two had been lovers for a long time and the soldier was a regular visitor to the woman’s house.

“It seems things between them went wrong,” he noted.

LOVE TRIANGLE

There were claims that the soldier had discovered that Elizabeth, a pharmacist at a local chemist, had been dating another man.

Kitui Central OCPD Kennedy Osando said Mutia went back into his girlfriend’s house and locked himself up when he realised she had died.

He said their pleas for him to surrender fell on deaf ears. The soldier shot through the roof several times to scare them away. And when this did not work, he turned the gun on himself.

“We forced the door open and found the soldier dead. He had blown his brains out with a shot through the chin,” said Mr Osando.

Their bodies were taken to Kitui County Referral Hospital mortuary.

SEEKING JUSTICE

Meanwhile, a Mombasa family is seeking justice for their kin who was allegedly shot and injured by an Administration Police officer in Bamburi.

Witnesses said Mr Wilson Muthomi, a matatu driver, was shot in the thigh by a plainclothes officer outside Bamburi Police Station.

Mr Muthomi, who had been arrested over a traffic offence, reportedly requested to be allowed to go and buy airtime across the road so he could inform his employer of his arrest.

“That is when the AP emerged and shot me, accusing me of trying to escape,” said Mr Muthomi, who was admitted to Coast Referral General Hospital.

Kisauni OCPD Richard Ngatia admitted the victim was shot by a police officer in the Friday incident.