A woman has hacked her co-wife’s three children to death before committing suicide in Masara village in Vihiga County.
The body of Jecinta Adhiambo was found hanging from a rope tied to the ceiling.
On the floor were the three bodies of her co-wife’s children. They each had deep machete cuts on the neck.
The children aged seven, four and two years were said to have been lured into the house by Ms Adhiambo, who promised them some porridge for lunch, after a domestic wrangle with her co-wife Hellen Atieno.
Adhiambo, who was the second wife of Festus Ogonda, was married a year ago and had been living with her husband in Nairobi.
Jecinta tried to commit suicide by burning herself in the house, but she was rescued. Two days later, she attempted suicide again by ingesting poison, but was rescued again. She was admitted in hospital for four days.
Barely a week after the second suicide attempt, she succeeded in taking her life together with the lives of her co-wife’s children.
The village was yesterday engulfed in grief as residents tried to come to terms with the incident.
“This is very sad; the woman should have been sent away after the first suicide attempt,” said Naftal Orwa, chairman of the village peace initiative