KDF officer dies in domestic fight with his musician wife

Violet Asela Emu aka Zian Achama

Secular artiste Violet Asela Emu aka Zian Achama. Asela's husband, Daniel Omollo Onyango, a Kenya Defense Forces officer, died following a physical fight between the couple at their home in Kahawa Wendani.

Photo credit: Courtesy

What you need to know:

  • Neighbours said the couple were heard arguing about 1am, before the wife started screaming from the bedroom.
  • Shortly after the screams died down, the officer’s sister and aunt came out calling for help. 

Thirty seven year old Daniel Omollo Onyango, a Kenya Defense Forces officer, returned to his two-bedroom house in Kahawa Wendani on Saturday night angry and in search of answers from his wife over her recent activities.

His wife, 27-year-old Violet Asela Emu, is an upcoming local secular artiste whose stage name is Zian Achama, had rented a one-bedroom house in Mirema drive, Kasarani for her music business, a decision that appears to have angered her husband.

As fate would have it, Onyango, who was a private based at Gilgil 44 Rangers, died in a fight with his wife over the said house.

According to the couple’s neighbours, the two started arguing about 1am, moments before they heard Asela screaming from the bedroom.

"We did not understand what they were arguing about but they have lately been having issues," neighbours told Nation.Africa.

Shortly after the screams died down, neighbors said, the officer’s sister and aunt came out calling for help. 

KDF soldier Daniel Onyango

KDF soldier Daniel Onyango who was killed at Kahawa Wendani, Nairobi, on April 4, 2021.

Photo credit: Pool

“We asked them what had happened and they said the couple had fought and that they needed a car to take the officer to the hospital,” another neighbor told Nation.Africa.

At the time, the deceased’s wife had already contacted Kahawa Garrison’s health centre requesting for an ambulance to drive her husband to the clinic.

“They travelled to the hospital with this car (a Toyota Vitz), but before they could get to the hospital, they met the ambulance rushing to the house and had the nurse check on the officer. The nurse pronounced him dead and asked them to go back home with the body and call the police,” another witness narrated.

At around 7:40am, regular police officers accompanied by DCI detectives from Githurai Kimbo police station learnt of the officer's death through a call made to the station by the deceased’s colleague.

Preliminary investigation established that the deceased was furious about the one-bedroom house that his wife had rented and was demanding to know who pays the rent and who the other tenants are.

“So angry was the officer that he refused to partake the night’s dinner. This led to an argument resulting into a physical fight at about 1am in which the deceased bit his wife on the shoulder. The wife also bit the deceased's finger, right side of the chest and back of the shoulder,” an investigator told Nation.Africa.

Screaming for help

Detectives said the deceased’s relatives forced their way into the couple’s bedroom when they heard the officer’s wife screaming and found him lying still on the floor.

“His wife asked them for help in resuscitating him but they could not do much. He was already convulsing,” the police said.

“Realising he had developed convulsions and was sliding to his death, the wife rushed him to Kahawa Garrison Health Centre but it was too late to save his life. His body was cold and without a pulse,” DCI George Kinoti said on Twitter.

The officers then arrested the deceased’s wife, aunt and sister but released the latter two after questioning and recording their statements.

The officer’s wife will be arraigned in court on Tuesday as the murder investigations continues.

The deceased’s body was moved to Forces Memorial awaiting postmortem. The house has since been locked declared a crime scene.