This archive report was first published on 10 July 2019.
On July 10, 2019, a horrific crime shook the Thome estate in Nairobi. Joyce Wanjiru, a 32-year-old woman, brutally murdered her husband, David Gitau, 34, and their two children, aged 2 and 7, before taking her own life.
According to relatives, Wanjiru had been planning to leave her family due to unspecified issues. Her clothes and a few household items were still packed in the house when the incident occurred.
Friends and relatives of the family are struggling to come to terms with the tragedy and are appealing for financial assistance to cover funeral expenses.
"Wanjiru was a friendly lady but was easily irritated. She had temper issues," her sister-in-law, Mary Mwihaki, said.
"She must have been possessed by demons for her to do that. How do you even kill your own children?" Mwihaki asked, still reeling from the shock.
The family's relatives and friends are now left to pick up the pieces and try to understand what drove Wanjiru to commit such a heinous crime.