When George Onyango stopped by his sister-in-law’s homestead in Umrembo village, Siaya County, on Friday, September 19, he was not initially concerned when he found no one at home.
However, after a third visit to Lucy Adhiambo’s compound yielded the same result, his unease began to grow.
His suspicions deepened further upon realising that not only was his sister-in-law missing, but so too was her recently hired Ugandan farmhand.
Troubled by the situation, Mr Onyango shared his concerns with the rest of the family, who immediately began a search for their missing relative.
The harrowing search ended on Tuesday morning when the body of Ms Adhiambo was discovered concealed inside a sack and buried in a shallow grave within her compound.
“The grim discovery was made this morning when her son, who had returned home to join the search, noticed a freshly disturbed patch of soil behind the house, in what used to be a kitchen garden,” said Erick Onyango, the assistant chief of Kagonya Sub-location.
Neighbours, upon investigating the site, began to remove the fresh earth and soon uncovered the decomposing body.
According to the administrator, the body bore visible wounds, likely inflicted by a sharp object, suggesting a violent death.
“With the assistance of the police, villagers were able to recover the woman's body from the shallow grave,” he added.
Throughout the search and subsequent discovery, the farmhand remained missing.
The assistant chief confirmed that the man recently hired and virtually unknown to the wider community, was now the prime suspect in the murder.
“The suspect was newly employed and lived alone with the deceased. In fact, apart from Ms Adhiambo, no one else really knew him. He worked as a caretaker and assisted with duties around the compound,” he explained.
In light of the tragedy, the administrator urged residents to take precautions when hiring domestic workers, including conducting thorough background checks.
“We are urging all residents to carry out proper background investigations before employing domestic workers. Ideally, prospective employees should present a recommendation letter from their local sub-chief,” he advised.
This shocking incident comes barely a week after another brutal killing in the region, where a 24-year-old security guard and student was murdered at his place of work.
Japheth Oloo Owino had recently completed his first semester at Siaya Polytechnic, where he was pursuing a diploma in civil engineering. His life, full of promise, was cut short under similarly tragic circumstances.
At the same time, the death of a 13-year-old girl, whose body was found dumped by the roadside in Homa Bay Town, has raised fresh concerns about the safety of school-going children in the lakeside county.
The girl, identified as Mary Triza, was murdered by unknown individuals, who later abandoned her body in a thicket in Rabuor Village, Gembe Ward, last Tuesday.
She had been reported missing for 24 hours. Her attackers are suspected to have poured a corrosive chemical on her, and there were visible signs suggesting she may have been defiled.
Mary, a Grade Seven pupil at Kamsama Junior Secondary School, disappeared while on her way home for lunch. She was walking along an isolated path when an unknown person is believed to have seized and taken her to an undisclosed location.
The incident has laid bare the vulnerability of teenage girls in the region, especially those who must walk alone to and from school. On many occasions, children can be seen navigating dark alleys and isolated areas such as sugarcane plantations, unaccompanied and unprotected.
Coincidentally, the killing occurred only a few days before a visit to the region by top officials from the Ministry of Interior, led by Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Deputy Inspector-General of Police Gilbert Masengeli.
During a security briefing, the CS was informed by local security teams of the alarming rise in cases of gender-based violence and defilement, cited as one of the most pressing threats to women and adolescent girls in the county.
Mr Murkomen singled out Homa Bay and Migori as hotspots where the vice has worsened, and he criticised a prevailing culture of silence and complicity.
“There is almost societal acceptance; no one wants to take responsibility. Many people are unwilling to speak up about the suffering of women and girls. Families often refuse to cooperate with police when their daughters are defiled or impregnated,” the CS said.
According to Mr Murkomen, the Ministry has increasingly had to rely on data collected from non-governmental organisations and hospitals.
“This is because many of the young girls who fall victim to these crimes seek support from NGOs or medical help from hospitals, rather than reporting the incidents to the police,” he explained.
He urged public officials charged with the protection of women and children to act without fear or favour, and to resist being compromised by families seeking to shield perpetrators.
“Children must not suffer in silence. When you accept public office, you cannot be held hostage by the familiar ills in your community,” the Interior CS said.
Police are still working to determine the motive behind Mary Triza’s murder. A team from the homicide unit in Nairobi has since arrived in Homa Bay to lead the investigation into the brutal killing.
In response, leaders from Homa Bay have come together in a unified call for justice and an end to violence against children.
Governor Gladys Wanga, Woman Representative Joyce Osogo and Suba North Member of Parliament (MP) Millie Odhiambo strongly condemned the murder, demanding that the perpetrator face the harshest punishment available under the law.
“We cannot live in a society that eats its own children. We cannot remain silent while a 13-year-old child is defiled, murdered and acid poured on her body,” Governor Wanga said.
