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Family murders and crimes of passion that shocked Kenyans in 2019

By Mary Wangari December 21st, 2019 3 min read

As the curtains come down on 2019, this year will be best remembered for all the wrong reasons, especially regarding senseless murders and crimes of passion that shocked the Kenyan public.

Reports of murders across the country captured local headlines with incidents of some of the most heinous and gruesome crimes.

LOVE-TURNED-SOUR

One would be forgiven to think the murderers were in a silent competition to see who was most cruel or had the highest level of insanity.

From murders by estranged lovers who sought revenge after their love-turned-sour to married couples who turned against each other with hellish vengeance.

Undoubtedly, Kenyans have been treated to the most horrendous scenes this year, befitting scripts to the most terrifying horror movie.

It is little wonder then that many have been left questioning themselves about the real meaning of love.

With such atrocities this year, clearly, the fastest way to cut short your life is by involving yourself in romantic relationships in Kenya!

However, it is another case when the hatred between lovers spills over to innocent children to an extent of brutally snatching their lives.

It is a chilling warning to Kenyans that all is not well with our society.

Kenyans are still smarting from a horrific incident where a former Air force officer is suspected of murdering his wife and two children in Nanyuki sending chills across the country and internationally.

Major Peter Mugure, 34, has been accused of killing his wife Joyce Syombua and his two children Shanice Maua, 10, and Prince Michael, and then proceeding to bury them in one grave in Thingithu area.

Ms Joyce Syombua (left) and her children Shanice Maua and Prince Michael, who have been missing since October 26. Her estranged husband on November 16, 2019 led police to three bodies dumped in a shallow grave at a cemetery in Nanyuki. PHOTO | NATION
Ms Joyce Syombua (left) and her children Shanice Maua and Prince Michael, who have been missing since October 26. Her estranged husband on November 16, 2019 led police to three bodies dumped in a shallow grave at a cemetery in Nanyuki. PHOTO | NATION

DEVILISH MURDER

In October, Kenyans woke up to heartrending news concerning 45-year-old Charles Muriuki who is reported to have killed his lover’s 11-year-old son after they fell out.

The man went on to bury the innocent child in Ragati Forest only to reveal his evil acts to the police after they apprehended him.

If that was shocking, nothing prepared the country for the horrendous incident where a man poured petrol on his 26-year-old wife, lit her up and watched as she burned.

The mother of two would later succumb to her injuries as she had 25% burn injuries, but not before she disclosed the identity of her murderer.

The gruesome murder of Emma Wanyotta, a beauty student at Vera College, Eldoret, will linger on in the memories of Kenyans.

The mutilated remains of the student were found in a farm near their home. Her boyfriend, described as a notorious criminal, is the prime suspect.

In August, residents of Mirangine village, Nyandarua county, were dumbfounded when a 30-year-old father turned against his own flesh and blood, stabbing his two sons to death and then committing suicide.

The boda boda operator allegedly committed the crime after his attempts to reconcile with the mother of his children proved futile.

In another bizarre incident still in August, a man hacked his two children, aged six and four years, to death after quarrelling with his wife over maize flour!

Peter Langat, who was an employee at Shiomo Tea Factory, went into hiding soon after committing the crime. His wife, an ECD teacher, narrowly escaped death.

Slain medicine student Ivy Wangechi. PHOTOS | COURTESY
Slain medicine student Ivy Wangechi. PHOTOS | COURTESY

STABBED TO DEATH

In July, the country was aghast after a 32-year-old woman hacked her husband to death with an axe, strangled her two children aged 14 and 3 years, before hanging herself inside their home at Thome, Nairobi.

Then in May, Kenyans were left speechless by the murder of Constable Pauline Wangari.

The prison warden was stabbed to death in Murang’a by her lover, Joseph Ochieng, who she met through social media.

Ann Kanario, a 21-year-old Kenya Methodist University (KEMU) student, was also found dead in her room within the university.

Police also found the body of her lover, Obed Nyaga Njahi, who was suspected to have murdered her, dangling from the roof.

But perhaps the most horrid incident was the hacking to death in broad daylight of Ivy Wangechi, a medical student at Moi University, Eldoret by her estranged lover, who gave unrequited love as the reason for his heinous act.

These are just some of the many horrifying incidents which happened in 2019, even as report by Counting Dead Women Kenya reveals shocking data concerning skyrocketing femicide incidents in the country.

According to the study, 46 women were murdered between January and May this year.