Police in Nakuru County are investigating a shocking incident in which a man killed his estranged wife before taking his own life in the Teachers area of Nakuru Town. The heartbreaking event also involved their five-year-old daughter, who witnessed the murder and stayed beside her mother’s body until morning.
According to reports, the suspect, identified as Stephen Gathoni, visited his estranged wife, 25-year-old Monica Njeri, at her house early on Friday morning. The two had reportedly been living separately following ongoing domestic disputes. During the visit, Gathoni allegedly strangled Njeri using a binding wire, killing her instantly. He then left her body on the bed and returned to his own rented house, located about 300 meters away.
After the killing, Gathoni took his own life by hanging himself using a blue rope. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered a suicide note alongside two containers of pesticide branded Duo Dip and Ciper Dip on a table in his home. The motive behind the murder-suicide is believed to have stemmed from unresolved domestic issues between the couple.
Neighbors became aware of the tragedy after one woman visited Njeri’s house to charge her Kenya Power and Lighting token meter. Upon discovering the gruesome scene, she immediately raised an alarm and alerted the authorities. The couple’s young daughter, traumatized by the ordeal, told police that her father had attacked her mother during the night before leaving.
Officers who visited both scenes recovered the two bodies and transported them to the Nakuru County Morgue pending postmortem examinations. The child has since been placed under the care of close relatives as investigations continue.
Authorities have expressed concern over the rising number of similar murder-suicide cases linked to domestic disputes across the country. Experts note that such incidents are often fueled by emotional distress, financial struggles, or unresolved relationship conflicts.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation has continued to warn about the increase in suicide cases globally, attributing them to factors such as unemployment, depression, financial hardship, and substance abuse. The government and mental health advocates have urged those experiencing emotional or psychological distress to seek professional help and counseling services to prevent further tragedies.
In a separate case, police in Muhoroni, Kisumu County, are probing the death of a 56-year-old woman whose decomposing body was recovered from a river after she went missing for over a week.
