Man hacks grandmother to death, slaughters family livestock

Steve Omondi Chwanya
Grandmother's killer
Photo credit: George Odiwuor | Nation Media Group

Police in Homa Bay are holding a 24-year-old man accused of killing his 70-year-old grandmother and then slashing and killing five goats and three cows at their home in Ruga A village.

The incident happened on Tuesday morning.

The suspect was arrested at the Kodoyo Junction trading centre as he walked while carrying a blood-stained axe and a machete.

He is accused of committing the offence at 2am while his grandmother, identified as Priscila Olbume, was asleep.

It is not clear what provoked the suspect to commit the crime.

Epilepsy

But his family reported that he had been suffering from epilepsy, which would occasionally cause him to go wild.

His uncle, Silah Ngare, told journalists that the man used to take drugs to control his temper.

"The suspect and the woman slept in the same house together with a Class Seven pupil who was their relative. He intended to kill the minor as well but luckily she escaped," Nr Ngare said.

Arujo Location Chief Bob Lango said he was alerted by security guards at 4am that the suspect had been spotted walking along the Homa Bay-Rongo road while carrying blood-stained weapons.

They were concerned that the man was walking in the dark carrying weapons.

"They got hold of him. I had to call the police to take him to the station for questioning," Mr Lango said.

Upon interrogation, the suspect led the officers to the scene of the crime, where they found the dead woman and animals.

Lucky escape

The Class Seven pupil, who witnessed her grandmother being attacked, fled into a thicket and later revealed what happened.

The officers broke into the woman’s house and discovered the suspect had escaped through the window.

“The door was still locked from inside so we had to break it to gain access," the administrator said.

The woman's body was found lying in a pool of blood in the living room.

The girl said the suspect had intended to kill her too. She survived by fleeing from the suspect’s hands, leaving her torn jacket in his hands.

Mr Lango accused neighbours of failing to respond to the girl’s distress cries, saying the woman could have been saved if they had intervened.

Homa Bay County Police Commander Esther Seroney said the suspect is in police custody.

The weapons he used in the murder were confiscated to be used as evidence.