This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
On June 15, 2020, a horrific incident occurred at Kwa-Muvai village in Mbooni sub-county, Makueni County, where a 24-year-old woman was brutally attacked by her husband.
Purity Muthoki, a mother of one, had her hands cut off by her husband, Boniface Mutua, 30, after a domestic row. She also sustained several deep cuts on her head.
Speaking to journalists from her hospital bed, Ms. Muthoki revealed that her husband had been abusive for the three years they were together, prompting her to return to her matrimonial home. However, he had travelled from Machakos to seek reconciliation, but when she remained adamant, he threatened to kill her.
‘He talked with my father before he travelled but I insisted to my father that I did not want anything to do with him. At around 9 pm my father left the house and my husband locked it from inside and started attacking me with a machete,’ said the mother of one.
Fortunately, Ms. Muthoki's cries for help were heard by the community, and her husband was lynched by an irate mob.
Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana visited the victim at Makueni County Referral Hospital on Monday and condemned the attack as inhuman. He urged men to stop meting such violence on their wives and couples in abusive relationships to quit.
‘Women are not punching bags when men are either angry or idle. This corona period when people are staying at home is not a license for people to violate the rights of others,’ said Governor Kibwana.
He also announced that the county government will cover the hospital expenses of the victim and provide a safe house for GBV victims through their Gender Based Violence (GBV) recovery centre.
