A 27-year-old man was stabbed to death by his lover in a suspected love triangle incident in Nakuru. While confirming the case, police said the incident happened on Tuesday, January 23, morning in Mwariki area and involved a female tenant and her neighbour who died at the scene. The deceased was identified as Peter Njenga Muruga. His body was found lying in a pool of blood on a sofa set with visible stab wounds on the left arm and eye, police said.
According to the other tenants, the deceased was in a love affair with one of their neighbours. The suspected assailant was not found at the scene, police said as they moved the body to the mortuary. A hunt on the woman is ongoing, police said. They also said that they want to establish the motive of the murder.
Meanwhile, police are investigating four separate cases of suicide that were reported on Monday, January 22.These are the latest incidents to be reported amid concerns of the worrying trend.
The first incident was reported in Lari, Kiambu county where the lifeless body of James Kiarie Gachiri aged 40 years was found hanging from one of the roof rafters in his house. Police said no suicide note was found at the scene.
The second incident happened in Githongo, Meru county where the body of Phenious Koome Kirimi aged 30 was found. He died by suicide after hanging himself using a manila rope that was tied around his neck in one of the roof rafters of his house. Police said no suicide note was found.
In the Londiani area, Kericho county, police said they were informed one Collins Kipngetich aged 23 who was a casual labourer at a flower farm within Lemotit Location ran towards a nearby black Tulip dam and committed suicide by throwing himself inside the dam. This was after he had left his academic papers on their table. Police officers proceeded to the scene and with the help of local divers and members of the public, managed to retrieve the lifeless body from the dam.
In Tambach, Kiptilong location in Elgeyo Marakwet, the body of Rodgers Kipchumba was found after he had died by suicide. The man had earlier escaped arrest by members of the public after being found committing an unnatural offence with a cow in the area, police said. The bodies are lying in mortuaries amid investigations, police said. Rising cases of suicide have been witnessed in the country of late. Police say the trend has been worrying and increasingly up to two cases are reported daily.
The World Health Organization (WHO) 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. WHO rates suicide as a serious global public health issue that is among the top 20 leading causes of death worldwide.
Kenya ranks position 114 among the 175 countries with the highest suicide rates.
By Lean Simatwa