Police in Murang’a have arrested a 24-year-old woman accused of killing her two young children by drowning them in the Mathioya River. The tragic incident occurred on the evening of Wednesday, October 22, 2025, and has left the local community in shock and disbelief.
According to reports, residents became alarmed after learning that the woman, identified as Lilian Wacera, had allegedly thrown her children into the river. Concerned locals quickly alerted the area chief, prompting swift action by police officers and members of the public. The woman later led the authorities to the section of the river where the children had been thrown.
Search efforts for the victims, aged one year and eight months and seven years respectively, began immediately. By around 9:00 p.m., one body was recovered roughly 300 meters from the family’s home. The search was temporarily suspended for the night and resumed the following morning, when the second child’s body was retrieved around noon.
Family members revealed that the suspect had left her matrimonial home in Samburu, claiming she was going to visit her ailing father in Murang’a. Her husband reportedly provided her with transport money, unaware of her true intentions. However, when the husband later contacted his father-in-law, he learned that the man was not unwell as his wife had claimed. The father then tried to convince her to return home, but she instead proceeded to commit the heinous act.
Police believe the woman may be suffering from mental instability, which could have driven her to the crime. Investigators are, however, still probing the circumstances that led to the children’s deaths. Authorities confirmed that the suspect remains in custody and will undergo interrogation as part of the ongoing investigation.
She is expected to be charged with murder once the inquiry concludes. Police also indicated that mental health assessments may be conducted to determine her psychological state at the time of the killings.
The horrifying incident has once again drawn attention to the growing number of cases involving mothers killing their own children. Just a month earlier, a similar case was reported in which a woman fatally stabbed two of her children and attempted to take her own life after a domestic dispute.
Residents and local leaders have since called for stronger mental health awareness and support systems to prevent such tragedies in the future.
