The role they play is undeniably grand as they make decent domestic managers, running our homes especially in the absence of the woman of the house. As a matter of fact, many homesteads cease to be steady without them. However, there are some house helps who seem to spring from the hottest part of domestic hell.
And the rise in cases of house helps committing grievous crimes at home have been of grave concern to employers, and now the criminal justice system. These domestic employees have not spared children either.
When not stealing them, some have been taken to court for assaulting children under their custody and in one sad case, feeding a three-year-old to the family canines. In turn, Nairobians and Kenyans in general have been accused of employing people they know very little about and end up being victims of the helper’s evil nature.
Here are some notorious cases both in and out of court, involving house helps.
Irene Kasilu – SMS threat to Mutula
What started as a complaint in Parliament in June 2012 by the late Mutula Kilonzo ended up as a serious case against Irene Nduku Kasilu, his house help. Mutula had received a death threat that read: “Minister Mutula be ready to die, we were sent by our boss to come to your place in Runda this weekend and rape your wife and your daughter and shoot you to death.”
The house help was taken to Milimani law courts and stunned people by pleading guilty. She changed her plea later on, which called for a hearing. However, a few months later, the late Minister would withdraw the case before senior principal magistrate Doreen Mulekyo, after consulting with friends and family.
Pauline Njana – Sh260,000 went missing
She is a former house help to former Cabinet Minister Joseph Kamotho’s wife, Emmy. Emmy went abroad in January 2013 and left Pauline to watch over the house. On coming back, Emmy found herself short of Sh260,000 which she had left at her Kitisuru home. Later on Pauline would be accused of stealing the money and planning to use it for construction back at her home. She pleaded guilty.
Mark Kyalo — Employer’s body discovered
Grace Irungu’s body lay in a pool of blood, her skull cracked by the fatal blow. An attempt had also been made to slit her throat using a kitchen knife. Mark Kyalo was accused of killing 50-year-old Grace Irungu in Ngara, Nairobi in 2005. Reason? Grace had dismissed him and he resisted eviction. The blood she lost was caked on the floor of the servant’s quarter she had wanted the 22-year-old houseboy to vacate for good. Her shoes, handbag, car keys and a padlock she intended to use to lock up the room lay beside her body in the family house in Donholm. Were it not for the bludgeoning, an hour later she would have been at work at the family’s detergent manufacturing plant along Thika Road.
