This archive report was first published on 7 September 2021.
On September 5, 2021, a gruesome murder shook the quiet village of Ndururumo in Kandara, Murang'a County. Margaret Wanjiru Ndung'u, 65, allegedly killed her 99-year-old husband, Ndung'u Mugachia, in a brutal attack.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the incident occurred at around 7:30 am on Sunday when Mugachia had just woken up and was warming himself by the fire in his son's house. Ndung'u allegedly picked a quarrel with her daughter-in-law, Betty Wanyoike, before attacking her husband with a machete.
‘The suspect had picked a quarrel with her husband before she dashed to the kitchen and came back wielding a machete,' the DCI said in a statement. She then slit her husband's neck open and dealt him a final blow, hacking his head just above the right ear.
The couple had been married for 52 years and had six children. However, their marriage had been marred by conflicts over the paternity of children, family land, and suspicions of infidelity. The family had been living in a state of tension, with Ndung'u often at odds with her husband over basic needs like food and money.
‘There was a time in 2019 when we contemplated taking him to a rescue home for the elderly but she threatened us with all manner of repercussions,' said Marion Nduta, a grandchild in the family.
Daughter-in-law Betty Mumbi Wanyoike witnessed the horrific attack and was left traumatized. ‘I was too shocked to even scream. I have never seen my mother-in-law in such a rage; she was not herself. I passed out when I saw her sink the machete into my father's neck,' she told investigators.
The scene was processed by crime scene detectives, and the deceased's body was moved to Gaichanjiru Catholic mission hospital mortuary, awaiting autopsy. The suspect is currently in custody, awaiting further investigations and arraignment on murder charges.
