This archive report was first published on 14 June 2020.
On Saturday, Boniface Mutua, a man from Yatta in Machakos, visited his ex-wife Purity Muthoki, 24, at her home in Kya Mavui village, Mbooni, Makueni County, under the guise of reconciling with her.
However, his intentions were far from peaceful. Mutua had been making similar visits in the past, but this time, he had a machete hidden in his pocket.
According to Muthoki's father, Makau, Mutua arrived at their home around 9pm and was left alone with Muthoki and their 10-year-old son. It was then that he carried out the brutal attack, chopping off Muthoki's hands with the machete.
"I heard loud cries from my home and as I returned to see what was happening, I met the man at the door in a rush to sneak out," Makau said.
Muthoki was rushed to Makueni Referral Hospital, where doctors had to amputate her two hands due to the severity of her injuries. She had 31 cuts on her body and was in a stable condition, but her hands were almost falling off.
"We did resuscitation when the patient was brought in before taking her to theatre when we managed to amputate her two upper limbs," said Dr. Athman Lugogo, who led the medical team attending to Muthoki.
Unfortunately, the villagers caught up with Mutua while he was fleeing and stoned him to death. The area chief confirmed the incident and said the machete used in the attack had been recovered.
Makueni Deputy Governor Adelina Mwau has condemned the incident and urged couples to seek help if they are experiencing any form of domestic violence.
Gender-based violence cases have continued to rise in the country, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the government's partial lockdown and nationwide curfew contributing to the increase.
