Detectives are investigating the brutal killing of a 71-year-old man whose body was discovered in a maize plantation in Kamale area, Magarini, Kilifi County.
The victim, identified as Katana Kadenge, was found with deep head injuries believed to have been inflicted with a sharp object. Investigators say he was murdered on the night of September 11, 2025, and his body was discovered the following day.
According to family members, Kadenge had left home to check on his maize farm, located about four kilometres from his house. When he failed to return, his relatives went searching and tragically found his lifeless body lying in a pool of blood. Police confirmed he had died several hours earlier before his body was discovered.
The remains were later moved to the mortuary for an autopsy to help establish the exact cause of death. Authorities have since dispatched teams to villages across Kilifi to probe a rising wave of killings targeting elderly residents. Investigators suspect that most of the murders are linked to land disputes, which have been a persistent source of conflict in the region.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Athi River, Machakos County, a 37-year-old woman was found dead in what police suspect to be a case of suicide. The woman, identified as Joyce Wamalwa, was discovered by her nine-year-old daughter in their iron sheet house with a sisal rope tied around her neck.
Preliminary reports indicate that she lived alone with her daughter. The body was taken to the mortuary pending postmortem examination to confirm the cause of death.
Authorities have raised concern over the rise in suicide cases across the country. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists possible contributing factors such as unemployment, financial stress, relationship issues, bereavement, academic pressures, legal difficulties, bullying, alcoholism, substance misuse, and mental health conditions like depression and bipolar disorder.
The government has emphasized that efforts are underway to address the growing menace of suicides by strengthening mental health awareness, improving access to counseling services, and tackling the social and economic pressures that contribute to such tragedies.
Both incidents underline the need for greater community vigilance and stronger interventions to protect vulnerable groups, including the elderly and those struggling with mental health challenges.
