A former primary school principal was detained after his wife was murdered on Valentine’s Day in Chepkumia village, Nandi County.
Rose Jerono Ng’asura, 53, passed away suddenly, shocking the community. A post-mortem and other inquiries revealed that she had been stabbed on the night of February 14 while she slept.
In order to identify the perpetrator of the horrendous act among family members, investigators and criminal investigation officers have been working around the clock for the past two weeks.
They disclosed that Mr. Zachariah Ng’asura, Jerono’s husband, and one of her children were present at the family home in the Chepkumia ward when she was attacked around midnight.
Police reported that the pair had experienced repeated domestic disputes.
The early police report states that it was determined Jerono was stabbed on the left side of her chest with a sharp object.
“The post-mortem report showed it to be possibly a knife, and we are now pursuing more evidence,” said the Nandi County Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Douglas Chikanda.
The father of six is said to have put his injured wife in his car, saying he was taking her for emergency medical attention at the nearest health centre.
However, a relative told the police that Mr Ng’asura went past Kapkangani county health centre and then made a stop at Kapsasur market for almost an hour, as Jerono bled and writhed in pain.
“It raised questions about why he didn’t take her to the hospital that was barely three kilometres from home, and instead took about three hours to arrive at a private facility in Kapsabet town,” the relative said, adding that Jerono was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
“DCI officers from Kapsabet have arrested the husband of the deceased and they are investigating him as a prime suspect. They want to know why he allegedly asked his wife to move out of their bedroom and sleep in the kitchen the night she was stabbed to death,” said Mr Chikanda.
Security officials begged residents of Chepkumia village to provide more details that could help investigators determine the conditions surrounding the woman’s murder.
Wilson Sang, the deputy speaker of the Nandi County Legislature, stated that Jerono’s burial had been postponed due to the intense emotions in the ward and the angry villagers’ promises to take revenge.
Mr. Sang persuaded the locals to allow the DCI to complete its probe into the killing rather than taking the law into their own hands.
“We want security officials to be given adequate time to conduct proper investigations into the killing and those involved in the incident should face the law, regardless of their positions in society,” said the Deputy Speaker.
