I didn't know he'd die, woman says after stabbing husband with knife

"I did not know he would die following the fights over my husband's plan to marry a second wife."

These are the words Lucy Anyango said when she went to seek protection from area assistant chief Enosh Nyawade after she killed her husband.

Anyango narrated to the administrator that she ran up to his office in Kobodo trading centre in Kanyamwa Kologi, Ndhiwa constituency, for rescue because a mob wanted to lynch her for killing her husband Michael Ondiala.

The incident occurred at Miyoro village in Kajwang sub-location on Wednesday afternoon. The distance between the home where the incident occurred and chiefs office is about 2km.

The suspect said their squabbles degenerated to fistfights after they disagreed over plans by her husband to marry another woman as his second wife.

Anyango said her husband took the woman home on Tuesday evening and told them she would henceforth be his second wife. She added that she was beaten up when she objected the decision

“I escaped and spent a night in a neighbour’s house after the beating. He beat me again the following day when I returned home to wash my clothes for my two children,” Anyango said.

The suspect said the husband turned wild, beat her thoroughly and commanded her to pack her belongings and leave.

Anyango said she picked a kitchen knife and stabbed Ondiala in the stomach when she was being strangled.

She said one of her brothers in law tried to intervene without success.

“I ran into a sugarcane plantation and escaped the mob because they wanted to lynch me,” she added.   

Nyawade said they arrested the woman and took her Kobodo police post after interrogating her.

He said Ondiala succumbed to injuries he sustained as he was being rushed to Ndhiwa hospital

“The suspect reported to us that she took a knife and stabbed her husband because she was being strangled. She said she didn’t know her husband would die from the injuries,” Nyawade said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect and the victim had separated for some time before the stabbing.

Nyawade said the woman left home about six months ago when they (couple) had domestic squabbles. The man wanted to marry another wife because Anyango was on and off in their marriage.

Nyawade said Anyango returned to Ondiala a few days before last year’s Christmas after the decease had made up his mind to marry another wife.

“Quarrels ensued after Anyango refused to welcome the new woman. Her husband had made a decision to marry another wife,” he added.  

Homa Bay police commander Samson Ole Kinne said they took the body of Ondiala to Manyatta Kobodo mortuary as investigation into the incident continues.

He said the suspect is in custody.

“Let couple seek alternative ways of solving disputes instead of killing each other. We’re investigation the incident,” Kinne said.

(Edited by V. Graham)