57-year-old man kills wife, dies by suicide in Kuresoi, Nakuru county

Detectives are investigating an incident in Sirikwa, Kuresoi, where a 57-year-old man was found dead after he allegedly killed his wife at their home in Nakuru County.

The man is believed to have first murdered his 57-year-old wife before dying by suicide.

The body of Richard Simotwa was found hanging from a roof truss with a rope around the neck.

His wife, Junetah Simotwa, was found lying in a pool of blood with stab wounds to the neck. Police said her body was discovered on the bed.

A neighbour told police she became concerned by the silence in the house and went to check on the occupants.

She jumped over the fence to access the compound, where she found the couple dead.

Police officers who responded to the scene recovered a bloodstained panga and an axe, which the man is suspected to have used in the killing.

The motive for the murder and subsequent suicide was not immediately established.

The bodies were moved to the mortuary pending autopsies. Police said investigations into the murder and suicide were ongoing.

Such murder and suicide incidents have been reported amid ongoing efforts to address the problem.

Police investigations indicate that most incidents are committed by men.

The World Health Organisation says such cases are also attributed to joblessness, death, academic failures or pressures, legal difficulties and financial challenges.

Other cited factors include bullying, previous suicide attempts, a family history of suicide, alcoholism and substance misuse, depression and bipolar disorder.

Meanwhile, police in Rangwe, Homa Bay County, are investigating an incident in which the body of a man was found in a river after a suspected murder.

The body was recovered from River Rangwe in the Andwejo area in a decomposed state and was moved to the mortuary pending identification and an autopsy.

Police believe the man may have been killed elsewhere before the body was dumped and swept downstream.