Silverio Omari
Residents of Maithairu in Kirinyaga are in shock after a 20-year-old woman killed her two children, aged three and four, by throwing them into a swamp. The incident occurred in a man-made marsh left open by a contractor harvesting murram in the village.
Kirinyaga-West Sub-County Police Commander Moses Koskei reported that Grace Wambui, 20, threw her two boys into the swamp following a domestic dispute. Villagers, led by Thomas Kabuci, who owns the land where the swamp is located, discovered Wambui and her children near the swamp and inquired about her situation.
Kabuci recounted to Citizen Digital that Wambui admitted she wanted to commit suicide and throw her children into the swamp after being kicked out of her home by her husband. Kabuci and his family provided her with porridge and tried to talk to her before he left to buy airtime to call her family. When he returned from Kiandai Shopping Centre, he found Wambui being beaten by residents after she had thrown her children into the swamp.
Kabuci explained that Wambui, who appeared depressed, was later rescued by police officers from the Kiandai police post while residents struggled to retrieve the bodies of her children. Michael Mwangi, who recovered the bodies, said he was fishing in the swamp when he saw Wambui throw her children into the water and immediately raised the alarm.
“I raised an alarm after I saw her throw her two children into the water. She started by throwing a banana peel, then threw her children one by one. I was fishing two kilometers away and couldn’t act immediately; it took me over five minutes to reach her,” Mwangi said.
Pastor Peter Munene, a family friend, arrived soon after the alarm was raised. He revealed that Wambui and her husband had been experiencing domestic problems and emphasized the importance of addressing mental health issues.
“Mental health is a real issue, and we will continue with counseling despite Wambui killing her two children,” Pastor Munene said.
Police Commander Koskei confirmed that investigations have commenced. Wambui was taken to the hospital for treatment after being beaten by villagers and is now in custody at Baricho Police Station. The bodies of the two children have been taken to Kerugoya Mortuary, awaiting postmortem.
Dj Vnyash
