Over the past five days, tragic incidents have occurred involving intimate partners which resulted in the death of six people and severe injuries to two others. The ages of the assailants range from 19 to 31 years. The majority of these gruesome attacks involved stabbing, as per police records. The underlying reasons for these attacks were cited as allegations of cheating and disputes over tardiness.
One tragic incident unfolded in Gichagi, Kangemi. A 19-year-old, Alvin Khaemba, was fatally stabbed by his girlfriend after a dispute centered around cheating accusations. When authorities arrived, they found Khaemba’s body with a stab wound on the left side of his chest. Reports suggest that he had been cohabiting with his girlfriend, Trizah Chemtai, for approximately three weeks. Following a heated argument about Khaemba’s alleged infidelity, Chemtai, in a fit of rage, stabbed him with a knife. Unfortunately, Khaemba succumbed to his injuries within his residence.
Another stabbing incident happened in Shauri Moyo, Nairobi, on the same Sunday at approximately 6:30 am. Mike Gakima, 23, suffered multiple stab wounds inflicted by his girlfriend, Ida Ndunge, also 23. Gakima’s injuries included stab wounds on his right shoulder, neck, and back. Thanks to the swift intervention of neighbors who heard his cries for help, he was rescued. The neighbors also apprehended the attacker and took her to the Shauri Moyo Police Station. Following the initial treatment at MSF, Gakima was then shifted to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
Last Thursday, another domestic violence case came to light in Igigo village, Bunyala, Busia county. Caren Auma, 23, a mother of two, was brutally murdered by her spouse, Stephen Oduori. It was revealed that Auma had visited her relatives in Uganda and took longer than expected to return, which displeased Oduori. On her return, an enraged Oduori assaulted and killed her.
In a separate incident that occurred in Naiberi, Eldoret East, Geoffrey Kiplagat Chirchir, aged 31, violently ended the life of his ex-girlfriend, Naomi Jepkemoi, who was 30. Chirchir repeatedly stabbed Jepkemoi in her chest using a kitchen knife. Authorities arrived promptly, arrested Chirchir, and secured the weapon used in the crime. The deceased was then taken to Plateau Mission Hospital.
In a non-related case, renowned South Sudanese politician, Agnes Kwanje Lasuba, 76, passed away at her residence in Nairobi. An autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause of her death. Her body has been moved to the Lee Funeral Home for necessary formalities. Lasuba had been in Kenya since June 10 and had a medical history of diabetes and high blood pressure. Notably, she was an influential figure in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) from 1998 to 2003, during which she resided in the UK.
These incidents shed light on the grim reality of domestic violence and the urgent need for effective measures to address and prevent such occurrences in society.