Tragedy as man kills wife and daughter, dies by suicide in Madogo, Tana River

Detectives are investigating an incident where a 29-year-old man killed his wife and daughter before taking his own life in a village in Madogo, Tana River county.

The body of Joshua Kithendu was found hanging on a truss of a roof with a rope tied around his neck hours after the tragedy, police and witnesses said.

The bodies of his wife and one-year-old daughter were found lying in the room too, police said of the February 22 incident.

Neighbours said Kithendu had secured a new job in Garissa Town and was to move out.

He then allegedly summoned his wife who the neighbours said had been having domestic quarrels with him, for talks.

It was then that he allegedly turned on the woman and stabbed her in the breast, killing her. He later used his wife’s hair braids to strangle the minor who was then watching the drama unfold in the rental house.

It was after he had killed the two that he died by suicide, police said.

The bodies were later collected and moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy. It is not clear what triggered the reaction, police said, adding they were investigating the same.

Suicide has been one of the leading causes of death in the latest worrying trend. Police say up to four cases of suicide are reported daily. Most of the victims are men, statistics show.

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

Other reasons are bullying, previous suicide attempts, history of suicide in a family, alcoholism and substance misuse, depression and bipolar disorder. The government says efforts are being made to address the menace.

In Kakuyuni, Kilifi County, a man aged 89 escaped death narrowly after he was attacked in his house in the ongoing campaign targeting the elderly in the area.

Most of the victims are targeted over land issues, police say. The victim sustained serious injuries before being rushed to the hospital in a stable condition.

Police said an unknown number of people attacked the man in his house before he raised an alarm, prompting them to escape the scene. The assailants left behind a motorcycle that they had come with.

Police said they are investigating the attack and efforts to trace the gang were ongoing. Such incidents have been common and they are linked to land disputes.