There was shock and horror in Kaningo, Kitui County on Wednesday night when a man set himself on fire after stabbing his mother-in-law to death.
Reports indicate that the man had traveled to his in-law’s place to pick up his wife who had ran away from their matrimonial home following a domestic dispute.
According to Kaningo Chief Samson Kitheka, the suspect was infuriated that the wife was not willing to reunite with him.
“The man arrived at his in-laws at around 10 pm on Tuesday but found his wife absent.”
“After spending some time with the children without their mother returning, he left a message that he would be back to punish the woman,” the chief said as quoted by the Star.
The administrator added that the suspect returned in the dead of the night at around 1 am and attempted to torch the grass-thatched house where his wife and their three children were sleeping.
“The woman woke up to the smell of petrol and was stabbed by the husband after she sought to find out where the smell was emanating from,” Kitheka said.
The suspect also attacked his mother-in-law after she came to rescue her daughter, killing her on the spot.
“The mother in law died instantly after she was stabbed in the abdomen. The man fled to a nearby thicket and torched himself,” the chief said.
The man’s wife survived the attack and was admitted to Mwingi Level 4 Hospital.
