This archive report was first published on 9 December 2019.
On Saturday, Joyce Syombua and her children, Shanice Maua and Prince Michaela, were buried in Kitui, following their alleged murder by her estranged husband, Peter Mugure, in Nanyuki.
The emotional funeral was held at Kyaithani village in Kitui Rural sub-county, where mourners gathered to pay their respects to the deceased.
Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu, who attended the funeral, advised married couples to resolve their differences peacefully and avoid resorting to violence.
"If married couples become incompatible, neither of the parties should lay their hands on the other to commit murder. They should peacefully part ways amicably," Ngilu said in a message delivered by her chief of staff, Chrispus Ileli.
Ngilu also emphasized the importance of men taking care of their children, even after separation, and urged the justice system to act expeditiously to ensure justice is served.
Chief Gregory Mutua, who also attended the funeral, called for the government to explore the possibility of compensating the family if it is established that the perpetrators are government officials.
The bodies of Syombua and her children were found buried in a shallow grave at Thingithu estate in Nanyuki on November 16, three weeks after they were reported missing.
Postmortem analysis revealed that Syombua died as a result of multiple blows to the head, while her children were strangled.
Major Mugure, the prime suspect in the murder case, has been arrested and remanded pending the conclusion of the police investigation.
