What was meant to be the beginning of 'marital' life for Patrick Mwangi, 28, and Jackline Wambui, 25, ended in tragedy barely three hours after they moved into their new home, leaving their families deeply divided over how and where the couple should be buried.
The two families have rejected a proposal to bury them in a joint grave, each opting instead to shoulder the burial costs and conduct separate ceremonies, amid postmortem findings appearing to support police suspicions of a murder-suicide.
Mwangi and Wambui moved into their would-be matrimonial home in Nyerere village on August 9 at about 4pm. They left shortly afterwards to celebrate their union, visiting bars and relatives before returning home.
An undated photo of Patrick Mwangi, 28, and Jackline Wambui, 25. The Murang’a couple were both found dead hours after moving in together for a come-we-stay marriage in what police suspect to be a murder-suicide case.
Photo credit: Pool
Police believe Mwangi strangled Wambui as she slept before going outside and hanging himself from an avocado tree.
Ms Bilha Wangare (in blue) points to the avocado tree where her son, Patrick Mwangi, was found hanging.
Photo credit: Mwangi Muiruri | Nation Media Group
The couple had been in a relationship for about three years, a period their families say was marked by disagreements and repeated attempts at mediation.
For both, postmortem reports indicate that the cause of death was asphyxia due to ligature strangulation resulting in cerebral hypoxia and brain death.
"The findings are consistent with death due to obstruction of air and blood flow to the brain, leading to lack of oxygen to the brain tissue - cerebral hypoxia," their reports read in part.
The findings appear consistent with the police account that Mwangi first strangled Wambui before taking his own life. However, samples taken for further analysis will establish whether either of the two had consumed alcohol or any other substance that could have affected their behaviour.
Anger, bitterness linger post-death
The late Patrick Mwangi.
Photo credit: Pool
Mwangi worked as a bodaboda rider, while Wambui was described by relatives as a businesswoman. The bitterness that characterised the couple's relationship appears to have survived their deaths.
After their bodies were taken to Maragua Level Four Hospital mortuary, the two families arrived separately to collect them. Mwangi's family took his body to Murang'a Level Five Hospital mortuary, while Wambui's relatives, who arrived about 20 minutes later, moved her remains to the privately owned Montezuma Monalisa Mortuary.
Even the postmortem bill became a point of separation. Although the examination was expected to cost the families a combined Sh24,000, each chose to pay separately, effectively doubling the cost to Sh48,000.
Wambui will be buried at her parents' home in Itara village on August 19, while Mwangi will be buried the following day at his parents' home in Nyerere. The separate burials underscore the hostility that has emerged between the two families following the deaths.
Mwangi's family: No dowry was paid
According to a police incident report, the couple spent about two hours drinking before visiting relatives and eventually returning to their new home.
"They left their Nyerere village home at around 4pm, went to nearby Maragua and Gakoigo bars, visited some of Mwangi's relatives in the neighbourhood, all along riding on Mwangi's motorcycle, before they retreated back home to be discovered dead by 7.30pm," a police report states.
Mwangi's mother, Bilha Wangare, says the two had not been formally married because no dowry had been paid. But beyond the question of 'marriage', she says the circumstances surrounding their deaths have left the family struggling to come to terms with what happened.
Ms Wangare blames Wambui for what she describes as the mental deterioration of her son, alleging that she had placed difficult demands on him. She claims Wambui wanted to be registered as the legal owner of Mwangi's motorcycle and a 0.1-acre piece of land near Makuyu town.
"To make matters worse, when she moved in with my son, she posted a photo of another man on her social media platform, blackmailing my son that should he fail to meet her demands, she would leave him for that posted man," she claims.
Ms Wangare alleges that her son had become so concerned about the safety of his property that he hid the motorcycle logbook and title deed at her house. She says she later moved the documents to a relative's home for safekeeping because she feared Wambui might retrieve them.
Ms Wangare described the relationship as increasingly toxic and suggested that her son's inability to cope with the situation contributed to the tragedy.
Wambui's family: Mwangi should have walked away
Wambui's relatives, however, strongly reject the portrayal of their daughter as the cause of the tragedy. They accuse Mwangi's family of trying to shift blame to the woman after her death.
Wambui's aunt, Jennifer Irungu, describes Mwangi's actions as those of a man who failed to deal with relationship problems in a healthy way. She recalls an earlier incident in which Mwangi accused Wambui of stealing Sh100,000 from his house but continued with the relationship.
"It is at this juncture that he should have realised that he had a relationship problem. I was keenly following their dating and I can say this was a very weak man who was being manipulated right, left and centre," she says.
Ms Irungu argues that whatever disagreements existed between the couple, Mwangi should have walked away rather than resorting to violence.
"Murdering a woman and also suicide is evidence of a weak man. He should have managed his relationship better," she says.
For Kikuyu Council of Elders chairman Wachira Kiago, the deaths expose a deeper problem: the erosion of traditional mentorship and support systems that once helped young couples navigate difficult relationships.
"If elders were as serious as we would be, these two lovers would have embraced the value of being strong, reasonable and the culture of sharing their challenges with us," he says.
He also points to the role of parents and religious leaders, arguing that the couple's problems should have been addressed before they reached a fatal point.
"If the clergy were as serious as they are supposed to be, these two would have known it is wrong to be evil. If parenting was as serious as supposed to be, these two would have grown up with more compact minds. We are all to blame," he says.
