The woman who strangled her four children in Naivasha two weeks ago has been declared mentally unfit to stand trial for murder and committed to a psychiatric hospital.
She blamed evil spirits and her ex-boyfriend for driving her to kill her children on June 27.
High Court Judge Richard Mwongo on Thursday directed that Beatrice Mwende, 42, must undergo treatment at Mathare Mental Hospital after a psychiatrist's report said she was schizophrenic and suffering from delusions.
Mwende, who is represented by F.I. Mburu, did not take a plea.
Prosecution counsel Jackline Abuga said based on the mental assessment, the accused cannot stand trial as she needed to be treated and observed..
The murdered minors were Melody Warigia, eight, Willy Macharia, six, Samantha Njeri, four, and Whitney Nyambura, two.
During an emotional burial on Thursday last week in Kinangop, Nyandarua county, the family denied that the suspect was depressed or had any financial constraints.
According to the report by Dr S. W. Karanja, a consultant psychiatrist at Gilgil Subcounty Hospital, the accused exhibited symptoms of a mental illness.
“My impression is schizophreniform disorder due to the delusions and hallucinations she has been experiencing,” he wrote.
The psychiatrist said the mother of six experienced auditory hallucinations of her ex-boyfriend talking to her and that she heard his voice while in police cells.
“Her memory and judgement are intact though she also experiences tactile hallucinations of the ex-boyfriend having sex with her," Karanja said.
“She has never been treated for mental illness before but has been hearing voices and experiences her ex-boyfriend having sex and strangling her on the 26th of every month,” the report reads.
The case will come up for hearing on September 23.
Edited by R.Wamochie
