Two Murang'a children aged seven and two years, who were found murdered in a rental compound on September 19, 2025, bled to death after they were stabbed with a sharp object, the postmortem report reveals.
The victims have since been identified as Leon Wanjohi, 7, and Lael Mwangi, 2. The murders took place at Kanorero town in Kangema constituency.
Their four-year-old brother survived the attack with three stab wounds and has since been discharged from Murang'a Level Five Hospital.
According to the autopsy report that was filed on Friday, September 26, by Murang'a Level Five hospital mortuary pathologist Kamotho Watenga, the stab wounds were vicious.
Also filed with the investigators is a medical care report for the Four-year-old survivor who had several cuts. Also recorded is a statement of the young survivor detailing what he witnessed in the attack.
Murang'a County Commissioner Charles Muriithi on Friday told Nation that "we are progressing well with investigations into the unfortunate incident where we already have the children's mother in custody as the prime suspect".
Mr Muriithi added: "We have since asked the court to allow us to hold the woman for 14 days pending conclusion of investigations to determine whether to formally charge her with murder of her two sons and the attempted murder against her third son".
The children's father, Mr Julius Maina, 34, has since recorded a police statement regarding the incident.
He told police he was asleep when he felt his wife trying to wake him up, while sounding very agitated.
"We had briefly argued about our marital issues…She said she was considering leaving me," he says in the statement. "I responded to her that she was free to leave but was always feel free to come back unconditionally".
With that response, he said he drifted back to sleep "only to later be woken up by a commotion within the rental compound, a female voice shouting at him to go and pick the bodies of my dead children for burial".
In his statement, Mr Maina said that he woke up in a daze and walked without a sense of direction, but somehow ended up in a corridor of the rental houses where his three sons were.
"Too dazed to think, I found myself bending and touching the body of my eldest son. My third son was breathing despite bleeding," he said.
Mr Maina added that his mind was not focused on finding out who was responsible; his priority was trying to save the lives of his three sons.
He said they got married in 2017 and, after eight years of being together, had not faced any serious differences in their marriage.
When the scene of the crime officers arrived, the two bodies were taken to Kangema Level Four Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
Meanwhile, the surviving son was transferred to Murang'a Level Five hospital where he was admitted, treated and discharged on September 24, 2025.
Mr Maina, who ekes a living by running a roadside eatery joint at Kanorero Market, on Friday, September 26, told Nation that he is now torn between mourning the death of his two sons, bracing himself for his wife's fate after she surrendered to the police, and reflecting on his future as a family man.
According to a statement from Kangema Police Station, the 30-year-old mother of three surrendered herself at Kanorero Police Post while bleeding from stab wounds.
"She did not utter a word, looked deep in shock and our contacts notified us about the scene of crime. We transferred her to the more secure Kangema Police Station where she is currently being held," the statement reads in part.
Her fate will be determined on October 6, 2025, when investigators have promised to issue a status report determining whether she will be charged with the murders.
"The matter is complex since my wife is in the hands of the police. We have been told to be patient until investigations are complete. The deaths of the children are a loss to me and are also a loss to their mother. What can I say?" he said, adding that the burial date has been set for September 30, 2025.
He said he would need help to raise money for the funeral and added, "We are aware that at some point we have to bury the two sons. The nagging question is whether their mother, who is still in custody will be in attendance. It is tough; this decision is beyond me".
