This archive report was first published on 9 July 2020.
On July 9, 2020, a Naivasha court made the decision to commit Beatrice Mwende to a mental institution after a medical report from the Gilgil Mental Hospital found her unfit to stand trial for the murder of her four children.
Beatrice Mwende had confessed to killing her children, Melody Warigia (8 years old), Willy Macharia (6 years old), Samantha Njeri (4 years old), and Whitney Nyambura (2 years old), and had begged the court for mercy, claiming she had been possessed by evil spirits and did not know what she was doing.
According to the prosecution, Mwende's boyfriend, whom she had parted ways with the previous year, was the one who had been ordering her to do 'queer' things, which she believed led to the tragic events.
State counsel Alex Ndiema had requested that the court hold Mwende until the High Court could seat, which would be in two days due to the prevailing Covid-19 conditions.
The court ultimately ruled that Mwende be transferred to the Mathare Hospital for further treatment and evaluation.
