An emaciated child was found playing next to his mother’s body hours after she had died in a house in the Karinde area, Kikuyu, Kiambu County.
The mother is believed to have been killed by the boy’s father who later died by suicide.
Both bodies were Sunday, November 17 evening discovered in the house long after the incident had happened. The house had been locked from inside,
Police said they are investigating murder and suicide in the incident.
The body of the man identified as Reuben Ndede was found hanging on the roof truss.
The woman was not immediately identified. It is not clear when they died, police said.
Police who visited the scene said the two bodies had started to decompose indicating the two died almost a day or more earlier.
Locals called the police saying the couple was dead in their house.
The body of the woman was lying on the floor with visible injuries. The child aged about one and a half years was lying next to the body.
That of the
man was hanging on a rope in the bedroom.
Kiambu police commander Michael Muchiri said the motive of the incident is yet to be known.
The child
was rushed to Mutuini Hospital where he was admitted in stable condition,
police said.
Witnesses said the child looked emaciated and seemed not to have had food for more than a day.
The bodies of the couple were moved to the City Mortuary pending autopsy and other investigations.
Cases of suicide and murder have been on the rise amid calls to address the menace.
Government officials say they have rolled out various measures to address the issue of suicide.
Police say the trend has been worrying and increasing as up to two cases are reported daily.
The
World Health Organisation says such cases are attributed to joblessness, death,
academic failures or pressures, legal difficulties and financial difficulties.
Other reasons are bullying, previous suicide
attempts, history of suicide in a family, alcoholism and substance misuse,
depression and bipolar disorder.