Police in Nakuru County are investigating a tragic murder-suicide that has left residents of the Teachers area in shock. A man identified as Stephen Gathoni allegedly strangled his estranged wife, 25-year-old Monica Njeri, before taking his own life in a separate house just a few meters away.
According to police reports, the incident occurred at dawn on Friday. Gathoni reportedly visited his wife’s home, where a heated argument ensued. He then used a binding wire to strangle Njeri, leaving her lifeless body on the bed before fleeing to his own rented house about 300 meters away. There, he hanged himself using a rope.
Heartbreakingly, the couple’s five-year-old daughter witnessed the entire ordeal. The young girl reportedly stayed with her mother’s body through the night before informing neighbors the following morning. One of the neighbors, who had gone to the house to request access to charge her Kenya Power token meter, discovered the gruesome scene and immediately alerted the police.
Officers later accompanied the child to her father’s house, where they found his body hanging from a blue rope. A suicide note was recovered on a nearby table, alongside two pesticide containers branded Duo Dip and Ciper Dip, suggesting he may have considered other means of ending his life.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the couple had been separated for several months due to ongoing domestic disputes. Their troubled relationship is believed to have played a key role in the fatal confrontation. Both bodies were later moved to the Nakuru County Morgue for postmortem examinations as investigations continue.
Authorities have described the case as part of a worrying trend of rising suicide and domestic violence incidents across the country. Despite ongoing awareness campaigns on mental health and gender-based violence, cases involving family conflicts turning deadly continue to surface.
Experts point to factors such as unemployment, financial struggles, depression, and substance abuse as major contributors to such tragedies. The World Health Organisation has urged individuals facing mental distress or relationship difficulties to seek professional help and support from trusted networks.
In a separate incident in Kisumu County, police in Muhoroni are investigating the death of a 56-year-old woman whose decomposing body was found floating in the Oseng’Teti River. The deceased, identified as Carena Oluch, had been missing since October 17. Her remains were retrieved and taken to Othoo Funeral Home as detectives work to establish the cause of death.
