Woman kills co-wife's three children in Kisumu

What you need to know:

  • The woman once attempted to commit suicide by drinking poison, but was rushed to hospital.
  • A relative said she had threatened to kill her co-wife and her children.

A woman on Sunday stabbed to death her co-wife's three children in Nyahera, Kisumu County.

She then committed suicide.

KILLED

A relative, Mr Eric Otieno, said Jacinta Atieno killed the children aged seven, five and two then hang herself using a rope.

The sibling's older brother survived as he did not get into the house.

Mr Otieno said Atieno lured the first wife's children to her house at midday, saying she would give them porridge to drink.

She gave them poisoned porridge then killed them, he said.

"The incident happened after the biological mother of the three children had gone to church," said Mr Otieno.

THREATS

He said Atieno had previously tried to commit suicide by drinking poison.

"Sometime back we found her in the house after she had taken poison. She was rushed to the hospital and she recovered. Often, she made threats of killing her co-wife Helen Atieno and her children.

"Just a week ago she was found in possession of five litres of petrol in her house after making threats over and over. Unfortunately no one took her seriously," said Mr Otieno.

Police later took away the bodies.