NYERI, KENYA: Panic has gripped Wendiga village in Mweiga town, after a farmhand killed his wife, chopped off her head and feasted on her body organs.
The assailant, whose employer and villagers described a calm and outgoing man, hacked his wife to death and also drank her blood, before forcing his young child to drink his mother’s blood.
Police are yet to recover the wife’s head.
The grisly scene, reportedly prompted residents to arrest and disarm the man, identified as Morris Mutuma Mutegi and attack him.
It is not yet clear what prompted the man to take the beastly action against the woman who had arrived at the homestead from her home in Meru at around 7.30pm Wednesday.
Although villagers claimed they did not lynch the man who was said to be in his 20s, it was apparent that they attacked him and tethered him to a pole in a cattle shed, where they claimed he died after committing suicide with the ropes they used to tie him.
Night screams
Ms Ann Wangeci, who employed Mutuma as a farmhand said the assailant told her that he was expecting his wife who was travelling from Meru.
“I released him at around 5pm and he went to pick her from Mweiga township. They came back at around 7.30pm, when he came to my kitchen to take his milk,” said Wangechi, noting that the assailant carried his son, who appeared about two years old.
Wangeci said Mutuma told him that his wife was tired-due to the long journey from Meru-and she would meet her in the morning.
But this did not come to be, since at around 11pm, the employer heard screams and commotion emanating from Mutuma’s house which is about 70 metres from the main house.
“I moved out and called his name since I thought cattle thieves had raided our compound. But the screams faded and only appeared later,” she said
Wangeci’s son, who identified himself as Solomon Mwangi said they moved out and found Mutuma in a nearby open ground.
“It appeared he had already killed his wife and had started removing inner parts which he was feasting on as his son sat next to him. I also saw him force the child to drink his mother’s blood,” said Mwangi.
Mr Peter Ndirangu, a matatu driver said Mutuma ate his wife’s heart before he was overpowered by villagers and attacked.
Mwangi said they raised alarm and attracted about 200 villagers.
“But the assailant was still armed with a knife, panga and spear, and we had to circle him before arresting him,” he said, adding that they attacked him before tethering him.
When The Standard arrived at the scene, the child, who looked unaware of what had occurred to her mother and father still had blood stains on his face.
Police, led by Mweiga OCS Mr Raphael Gaa also recovered some broken human teeth at the entrance of the assailant’s house.
Nyeri OCPD Kirunya Limbitu said the matter was being taken as murder.
“It is however unfortunate that both the alleged assailant and his wife died. We have since removed the bodies to Nyeri provincial general Hospital mortuary for post-mortem,” said Limbitu
Source:standardmedia.co.ke
