Shock and grief engulfed residents of Matunda village in lower Gatanga, Murang’a County after a 47-year old woman allegedly killed and burnt the body of her husband, before attempting to bury it.
Edith Nyaguthii assisted by two of her children attacked James Maina with a machete and axe killing him on the spot in the Saturday 5am incident.
The local residents told KNA that the woman went ahead to burn the body by dousing it with paraffin and setting it ablaze before attempting to bury it.
Residents also claimed that they cornered the wife and her two children while digging a grave to bury the body under the cover of darkness.
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Police recovered a hammer, axe and a panga believed to have been used in committing the heinous act.
The incident reportedly happened when the deceased arrived home while drunk and a domestic quarrel erupted occasioning the gruesome murder.
A brother to the deceased James Ndirangu said they were attracted by smoke and a flame emanating from the home prompting them to go and find out what was burning.
“On arrival we found the body of my brother wrapped in beddings burning outside the house and the wife was digging a grave while assisted by two of her daughters,” said Ndirangu.
Locals said the family had been having domestic feuds for long but lamented that what happened had left the whole village in shock.
Police officers who arrived at the scene of crime led by Gatanga Criminal Investigations Officer James Mwangi arrested the wife together with her children to help in the police investigations.
The body that was severely burnt was removed to Thika Level 5 Hospital mortuary for postmortem.