I regret: Kenyan woman shares reasons behind attack that saw her kill 2 children
This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.
- A Kenyan mother went on the rampage recently and attacked her five children before setting household items on fire
- Two of the five girls have since died, while three are receiving treatment at Mulago National Referral Hospital
- As police continue investigating the case, fresh details have emerged on why the woman chose to end the lives of her kids
A Kenyan mother accused of stabbing her five daughters has told police that prolonged marital strife pushed her towards a breaking point.
New Vision reports that fresh details have emerged about the months of tension that allegedly preceded the attack.
2 Girls Dead, 3 Hospitalised
The violence occurred at approximately 4 am on Thursday, August 20. Dorothy Namayo allegedly attacked all five of her daughters with a knife.
Fourteen-year-old Khadija Daizy was found dead in her bedroom, and seven-year-old Hawa Dalena later died from her wounds at Nsambya Hospital.
Three surviving siblings, aged 13, eight and five, were taken to hospital for treatment while their 43-year-old mother was taken into custody.
Questioned over the incident, the scorned wife told investigators that she had decided to end her children's lives and her own.
Namayo Also Set Items on Fire
The incident extended beyond the stabbing. A Toyota Hiace vehicle parked at the home was set ablaze, with investigators recovering a jerrycan believed to have contained petrol at the scene.
Namayo was also found injured and transferred to Mulago National Referral Hospital, where she remains under police guard.
Dorothy Namayo told detectives that conflict with her husband had grown unbearable and that she had resolved to kill her children before taking her own life.
Police are still working to independently verify her account and establish the precise sequence of events that unfolded at the family's home in Kalungu Bunga, Kampala.
Husband's Second Wife Created Tension
Investigators heard from the family's housemaid, Mariam Saana, that the household had been unsettled for several months after the husband took a second wife.
That development reportedly set off a pattern of repeated arguments and heightened tension, particularly whenever the husband returned home.
There were also claims that disagreements over family expectations, including reports that the husband had wanted sons, added to the strain.
On the night before the attack, a fresh argument between Namayo and her husband pushed her emotional state to its lowest point.
Mariam said she was woken by an alarm and the sound of the children crying before she found several of them with serious stab wounds.
Investigations Ongoing
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachel Kawala confirmed that detectives were still examining Namayo's account to determine her case.
Investigators seek to establish which of the incidents between the murder, attempted murder and arson occurred first.
Statements have been recorded from witnesses and evidence recovered from the scene is being analysed as investigators work to reconstruct what happened that morning.
The allegations against Namayo have not yet been tested in court.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.