This archive report was first published on 12 May 2020.
On Sunday night, a tragic incident unfolded in Umoja Estate, Nairobi, where a 33-year-old aeronautical engineer, Edward Okello, was allegedly stabbed three times by his 29-year-old girlfriend, Vigilance Shighi, resulting in his death.
According to neighbours, Okello and Shighi had been experiencing frequent disagreements in the weeks leading up to the incident, which was not uncommon in their relationship.
Government statistics have shown a spike of at least 45 per cent in domestic violence since the first coronavirus case was announced in mid-March, with Health Cabinet Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangagi warning that the law would catch up with those who mete violence on others during this period.
On the night of the incident, neighbours reported hearing shouting and piercing screams coming from Okello's house at around 8pm, followed by Shighi rushing out for assistance.
When police officers arrived at the scene, they found Okello lying on the floor in the sitting room with blood coming from his chest. He was rushed to Mama Lucy Hospital but was pronounced dead by the time the police arrived at around 9pm.
Shighi was arrested and taken to the Buru Buru Police Station, where she was put under investigation by homicide detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
In a video recorded at the police station, Shighi claimed she did not know what happened, stating that Okello was holding her and beating her up, and that she threw a cup at him in self-defence.
However, the lead detective in the case, Ms Veronicah Waithera, filed an affidavit stating that Shighi had a quarrel with Okello, prompting her to stab him with a kitchen knife.
The police have since applied to hold Shighi for 14 days to record statements of all possible witnesses, take her for mental assessment, and conduct forensic examinations on her phone and the murder weapon.
