Had Jacob Odhiambo,32, known his continued stay in a reportedly violent marriage would cost him his life, he probably would have opted out. Witnesses say that he had tried to end the union recently but reconsidered the decision.
His neighbours within the Kulamawe area in Bulapesa ward, Isiolo North, say the deceased would have frequent verbal and physical confrontations with his 27-year-old wife, Linet Odhiambo.
Ms Odhiambo surrendered to the police after allegedly stabbing her husband in the stomach five times, inflicting him with serious injuries that he succumbed to while receiving treatment at Isiolo Referral Hospital.
So, why didn’t the neighbours respond swiftly and report the incident?
A few of those who spoke to Nation.Africa admitted to hearing an argument which was followed by silence and later huge screams by the man, calling out for help.
Jacob had during the day reported to work at Trojan area with his two-year-old son who had been left behind by the mother as she set out for the village in Nyakach, Kisumu County for several days over unknown reasons.
It is believed that the suspect returned that evening and that the husband and son found her in the house.
“We would not have thought it was that serious because they used to argue and fight a lot. When the argument ended, we thought they had resolved the issue only to hear the man screaming for help,” one of the neighbours told Nation.Africa
Detectives investigating the case believe the man lay on the bed immediately after the argument and was attacked while asleep.
“There is no way she would have stabbed him five times in the stomach while he was sober. We believe she attacked him while lying on the bed,” a police officer privy to the ongoing investigations said.
The man, the police suspect, struggled to wake up after the attacker fled but due to stomach injuries, fell on the floor, the same place he was found by the officers who rushed to the scene after the incident.
“We found him writhing in pain with no one else in the house. His intestines were hanging out,” another neighbour said.
The 9 pm incident was reported by members of the public at Kulamawe police station and a statement was recorded.
Isiolo Senior Resident Magistrate Maureen Odhiambo Monday allowed the investigators to continue holding the suspect for six more days to enable them to complete recording statements from crucial witnesses, obtain an autopsy report, recover the murder weapon and subject the suspect to a mental test.
The sleuths are looking into the possibility that the deceased wife, who is being treated as the main suspect in the ghastly act, could have been assisted owing to how the crime was executed and the swiftness by the attacker (s) to leave the scene.
“Her clothes were not blood-stained when she surrendered at the station,” an officer at Kulamawe police station told Nation.Africa, saying she might have passed by another place and changed her clothes before going to the facility.
Jacob’s remains were moved to Kisumu yesterday with post-mortem results expected to be out in the week.
Meanwhile, family members are yet to come to terms with the death of their loved one.
