A text message allegedly sent to a 25-year-old woman by a landlord in Kapenguria, West Pokot County, has led to her death.
The deceased, who was killed on Monday, May 20, was allegedly murdered by her husband who stabbed her.
The husband, Victor Kiptoo, 25, allegedly suspected Jenifer Chemtai of having a love affair with her landlord.
The young couple, who lived together at Mawingo Road Estate in Makutano Township, Kapenguria, had recently been quarrelling over issues of infidelity.
The landlord also has a house on the estate where they live.
The mother of one is said to have refused to bear a child for the man.
On Sunday, the suspect left the house, saying he would be away for some time.
The woman is said to have received a text message which was accidentally seen by her husband. The woman is said to have deleted the message.
The suspect is said to have told the deceased that he would not be around.
According to neighbours who spoke on condition of anonymity, the suspect came home incognito around 9 pm on Monday, but the woman refused to open the door.
“They had been fighting every day. The man set a trap and came back at night,” said a neighbour.
She says the woman wrote a message to his lover saying the man was not around and welcomed him to the house.
“The husband took the message, which led to a fight. The woman told the man that she didn’t want him in her life,” she says.
The man tried to confront the woman to see the message, but she refused.
The man was forced to sleep outside and in the morning he attacked the woman with a kitchen knife.
Kapenguria Police Station officer commanding (OCS), Lukas Wamocha, told Nairobi News that the man called Kapenguria Police Station officer, Albunus Kizito, who happens to be his friend, and reported that he had killed his wife.
“We rushed to the scene and found the woman’s body in a pool of blood inside a one-room rented house. The knife that had been used to kill her was next to her,” says Mr Wamocha.
Mr Wamocha says they arrested the suspect and took him to Kapenguria police station.
“The suspect, who was alone in the room, claims that there was a misunderstanding between him and the deceased over an alleged extra-marital affair between the deceased and the landlord. A fight ensued and the suspect took out a knife and stabbed the deceased around 0730 hours,” Mr Wamocha said.
“We have arrested him and will charge him with murder. She was killed by the knife in the head,” he added.
The body of the deceased woman was taken to the Kapenguria District Hospital morgue for post-mortem examination.
The landlord, Duncan Koech, was arrested and taken to Kapenguria police station for investigation.
West Pokot County Police Commander Peter Kattam says investigations are ongoing.
He says the family of the deceased wants justice to be done.
