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Domestic disputes often take a deadly turn as blood ties unravel in a chilling wave of family killings that have shaken communities.
Three weeks ago, Kenyans woke up to shocking news of the death of Kakamega Homeboyz FC defender Silas Abungana.
Soon afterwards, his younger brother, Denmark Muchiti, was arrested and placed in custody over the brutal killing. He was later taken to court as the police sought more time to complete investigations into the murder.
In Nyeri, police arrested 30-year-old Peter Kariuki Njaramba for allegedly killing his wife and two children.
Njaramba, a resident of Thunguma location in Nyeri Central, was arrested immediately after three bodies of his family were found inside their one-bedroom rented house in Kagayu village on February 3, 2026.
While the body of the woman, identified as Mary Nafula, aged 31, was found hanging from the roof in the bedroom with a rope tied around her neck, the children, a boy and a girl, were found lying in the living room in a pool of blood.
And last year, 72-year-old Francis Muya was charged with plotting to murder five of his family members.
Muya was charged with five counts of conspiracy to murder after he allegedly hired killers to murder his estranged wife, Rose Njeri Muya, at a cost of over Sh3 million. It is alleged that he plotted to murder his three sons and a daughter.
The charges stated that he committed the offence on diverse dates between March 1 and May 2, 2024, jointly with others not in court.
Claims are that he plotted to rid himself of the family members over the prime plot in Molo town.
In 2021, there was another shocking killing in Kiambu. The January 2021 murders in Kagongo Village, Kiambaa, were traced to then 22-year-old Lawrence Njoroge Warunge.
The former Mount Kenya University student is accused of hacking his father, mother, younger brother, cousin and a farmhand in a fit of rage before going into hiding.
The killer then switched off his phone and travelled to Naivasha, but he was arrested and allegedly confessed to the murder. The trial is ongoing.
Such family killings are on the rise.
Between January 2024 and February 2026, at least 25 cases of killings within families have been reported.
Female partners
A survey of media reports, court cases and police reports reveals that most of the killings were committed by men against their female partners.
Police reports said some of the killings happened in the heat of a domestic argument, while others appeared to have been planned meticulously.
A deep dive into the evidence presented in court showed that some of the cases have their bearing in land and inheritance disputes.
The analysis showed that four cases were closed because the suspect died before facing trial. In three cases, the suspect is still at large.
Jane Muthoni, who was convicted of killing her husband Solomon Mwangi.
In June 2021, Jane Muthoni, the former principal of Icaciri Secondary School, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the November 2016 murder of her husband, Solomon Mwangi, who was the principal of Kiiru Boys High School.
A postmortem report indicated that Mwangi was strangled to death.
Evidence showed she plotted the murder for months, including hiring accomplices.
The court found that Muthoni, scorned by suspected infidelity,** solicited the help of a friend to plan the murder of her husband.
The friend introduced the killers who plotted the killing, which included a combination of administering drugs to stupefy Mwangi and then manually strangling him.
The late Solomon Mwangi, principal of Kiru Boys High School in Murang'a who was murdered in November 2016.
The killers then left the body tied to a tree, his hands tied together, with gunny bags covering his body.
The court, while sentencing them, said the killing was not only premeditated but also involved a high degree of planning.
The court said evidence showed that Muthoni was so intent on having her husband killed that she had made several attempts before succeeding in eliminating him.
“The picture that emerges from the evidence is one of a depraved and vengeful spouse, not an accidental killer who poorly responded spontaneously to immediate circumstances. Both the accused persons had many opportunities to walk back from their heinous plans, and with each opportunity, they chose the path of death,” said the court.
In June 2024, the High Court in Eldoret sentenced Melisa Muhinda and her lover, Samuel Amatuka, to 30 years in prison for the 2018 murder of her husband, Geoffrey Matenje, a newspaper vendor.
The court found that she conspired with her lover to kill her husband and tried to dispose of his body in a sack.
Still in Eldoret, a police officer, Lilian Biwott, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for killing her husband, Victor Kiprotich, in October 2023.
The trial judge noted that the police officer showed extreme cruelty by shooting her husband 12 times with an AK-47, rejecting her defence of provocation.
While convicting her, the court said her conduct before and after the shooting showed her state of mind.
The court was told that there was an argument between the couple, and then there were 30 minutes of stillness before the shooting.
“More significantly, after the shooting, the accused concealed the weapon near the flower bed before leaving the scene, a conduct that is inconsistent with someone who believed they had acted in legitimate self-defence,” said the court.
The court said while the law recognises domestic violence as potentially relevant to defences of provocation or self-defence, the evidence in the case showed a level of calculation that transcends these defences.
The court said the woman was trained in the use of force continuum and the principle of proportional response, and her choice to discharge twelve rounds in a controlled manner, rather than employing less lethal alternatives or seeking assistance from fellow officers, spoke to a deliberate choice to employ lethal force.
In February 2021, Simon Evans Kandie was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment for killing his father, 55-year-old Kandie Kipyegon, with repeated panga strikes to the head, nearly decapitating him.
The incident in Kabarnet occurred as the son quarrelled with his father over his refusal to sell livestock for his (Kandie’s) financial benefit.
Evidence tabled in court showed that the father had prioritised using the animals for his grandchildren’s education. The grandchildren included Kandie’s children.
The court was told that the attack occurred in the presence of one grandson, who became an eyewitness to the brutal killing.
While sentencing him, the court said Kandie cannot be heard lamenting that his children would be left without care following the death of his only brother. “He is the architect of the present situation by killing his children’s benefactor,” said the court.
In February 2021, Edwin Munene Murangu was sentenced to 35 years in prison for murdering his father, Jaspher Marangu, an offence he committed on November 17, 2017, at their home in Mpiani village in Tharaka Nithi County.
Circumstantial evidence
The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence, including Munene’s violent history towards his parents, such as breaking household items, threatening them with weapons, and demanding money aggressively. On the fateful day, Munene was the only person who was present with his father before the old man’s body was discovered with injuries to the head.
In May 2023, Stephen Kinuthia Njoroge was convicted of murder and sentenced to 13 and a half years in jail for killing his brother, Paul Mwiko Njoroge on February 27, 2016, at their father’s home in Kirima Farm, Nakuru.
Witnesses recounted Kinuthia striking his brother on the head with a stool and kicking him in the stomach, causing fatal injuries.
The court was told that an altercation arose from a dispute over money and cigarettes, but the court found Kinuthia’s actions demonstrated malice aforethought, as the force used was intentional and grievous.
There was evidence that Kinuthia abused alcohol, and he would destroy family property and hurt family members whenever he was drunk.
In April 2023, Joel Gachau Kamau was convicted of killing his mother, Bright Njoki, and niece, Elishiba Wangui, in Nyandarua using a panga, an offence he committed on June 28, 2018, in Kieni village, Nyeri County.
Gachau had claimed in his defence that he was mentally ill and under the influence of bhang, but the court noted that medical evidence did not support his theory and that he came up with the line to feign insanity. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison, a term that started running from June 2018, when he was charged.
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