Police in Kitui South are searching for a 43-year-old man
who allegedly hacked his father to death under unclear circumstances on Sunday
afternoon.
According to Pius Kilunda, the Chief of Kibwea Location, the
suspect ambushed his father at their home and
fatally slashed him on the neck with a razor-sharp panga at around 1 p.m.
"It is not clear why Musyoka killed his father in cold
blood, as they were the only two in the home when the vicious incident
happened. Other family members were in the church," said Chief Kilunda.
The chief noted that the suspect appeared to have planned
the attack, waiting until everyone had vacated the house except for his father.
"Every other family member had gone for Sunday service,
and the old man was helpless when he was attacked. There was no one to defend
or rescue him," he explained.
Chief Kilunda added that the murder was executed with a
single deadly blow.
"With just one panga blow to the neck, the young man
left his father for dead, sprawled on the ground in a pool of blood as he
fled," he said.
The motive behind the killing remains unclear, and there were
no eyewitnesses to the act.
"The motive of the heartless murder was not immediately
known as there was no witness and the killer is already at large," the chief
told the press on Monday.
The matter was reported to Mutomo Police Station, and
the body of the deceased was transferred to Mutomo Level IV Hospital morgue as
authorities launched a manhunt for the suspect.
Chief Kilunda urged residents to seek peaceful conflict
resolution.
"I advise those locked in disputes to seek amicable
ways of resolving them instead of resorting to violent confrontation," he
said.
He also expressed concern over increasing substance abuse
among young people in the area, linking it to rising cases of irrational and
violent behavior.
"There is an alarming rise in the consumption of hard
drugs and substances, which often leads to bloody attacks like this,"
Chief Kilunda warned.
