'How I escaped a murder-suicide attempt by my estranged husband'

A woman who was stabbed six times by her estranged husband who later committed suicide by burning himself inside a car has finally spoken out.

Ms Elizabeth Munyalo, who was on Monday discharged from Mama Lucy Hospital in Kayole Sub County, Nairobi where she was rushed after being stabbed by Mr Dennis Musyoka said that they had gone separate ways mid-last year.

However, Mr Musyoka at some point early this year started pressuring her demanding that he be given a chance to see his daughter.

“We then agreed that he will be seeing the girl weekly and we settled on Sunday as the best day of the meet-up,” said Ms Munyalo.

She said that on Saturday, August 20, Mr Musyoka called her in the morning and demanded that she take the daughter to him.

However, Ms Munyalo could not make it because she was far away from where she had taken her daughter to celebrate her birthday.

“We argued for some time but agreed that I would take the girl the following morning, which was on a Sunday. The same day he attacked me and set the car on fire,” she said.

According to her, the following morning she decided to take the girl to Nasra Estate in Njiru Sub-County which was the usual meeting point.

As soon as she arrived while driving her motor vehicle; a Honda Vezel, the husband jumped into the car and sat in the rear seat.

She said that the man then took out a knife from his pocket and started attacking the woman.

“He pulled my hair and stabbed me severally on the left side of my neck, I, however, managed to push him away and since I was not wearing a safety belt jumped out of the car,” she said, adding that a good Samaritan then decided to rush her to hospital.

Ms Munyalo said that all the time she was wondering whether the man had gone ahead and harmed their daughter.

Once the woman was out of the vehicle, the deceased went ahead and set the vehicle on fire while the minor identified as K.M and aged two and a half years was still inside.

Investigations by detectives attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kayole Sub-County found out that the duo had separated for some time over continuous domestic issues.

When detectives arrived at the scene, they pronounced Mr Musyoka dead.

The police also recovered a knife and a partly burnt five-litre jerrican suspected to have contained petrol which is believed to have been used to set the motor vehicle on fire.

The girl was then taken to Mama Lucy Hospital where the mother was then later referred to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

Mr Musyoka’s body was then taken to the Mama Lucy Hospital Morgue awaiting an autopsy.

On Monday, the mother of one was discharged from the hospital as Kelsey was transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital for specialised treatment.

She, however, succumbed to her injuries, and her body was taken to Kenyatta National Hospital Mortuary.

The results of the post-mortem are needed as evidence in the inquest into the tragedy that almost wiped out an entire family, and which came after a prolonged marital conflict.