By Izunna Okafor, Awka
What could be best described as a heartbreaking and tragic incident has left the residents of Kabwareng village, Nandi South of Kenya in shock, as a man identified as Hannise Simani Juma reportedly committed suicide after gruesomely stabbing his wife, Winnie Akusuha, to death.
The incident, which recently occured at the wife’s parents’ home, has not only thrown the entire community into mourning, but also sparked a wide range of reactions and counter-reactions on the social media, with the netizens expressing their views and candid opinions.
According to police report, Hannise stormed the in-law’s residence, confronted his wife, and in a fit of rage, stabbed her multiple times with knife, leading to her instant bleeding to untimely death.
It was further gathered that, following this gruesome act, he also took his own life by consuming a lethal dose of rat poison and slitting his neck with the same knife.
According to sources, by the time authorities and neighbours arrived the scene, it was already too late.
Reports further have it that the couple’s bodies have been moved to the Jumuia Friends Kaimosi Hospital Mortuary, where they are currently awaiting autopsy, while the police have also launched a full-scale investigation to unravel further details and the circumstances that might have led to such extreme actions and incident.
Further confirming this in a social media post, Vincent Kipkoech, a netizen and resident who said that the couple had been married for several years, further revealed that they left behind three children —a boy and two girls —who are now orphans as a result of the tragedy.
Neighbours have also described the family as ordinary, with no prior signs of turmoil that could have hinted at such a catastrophic outcome.
However, in their separate reactions to the incident on social media, while many speculate that long-endured, suppressed and unresolved marital conflicts may have spiraled out of control among the couple to have resulted to such extreme actions; some others point to possible underlying mental health issues, frustration, emotional or spiritual factors.
These speculations notwithstanding, experts and community stakeholders have advocated for proactive measures, including increased awareness of domestic violence and access to professional intervention services, to avert such tragedies in the future; even as local authorities have also appealed for calm, while urging anyone with relevant information to assist the police in their investigations to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
