Police in Kapchorwa are holding a 47-year-old over the deaths of an expectant mother and her four-year-old son, who were burnt inside their grass-thatched house while sleeping.
Fredmark Chesang, the police spokesperson for Sipi region, says George Mzee, the father of the deceased, was arrested at his home in Matingot cell, in East division, on Saturday, October 29th. This was after Ndiwa Cherotwo, the family chairperson, informed police that the suspect’s wife, during a family meeting, that her husband was a prime suspect in the death of Joy Chemutai and her son following earlier threats.
“We have arrested Mzee, the father of the late, and we are finalizing our investigations to present the suspect to court,” Chesang told URN in Kapchorwa.
The bodies of the deceased were laid to rest on October 28th, in Matingot Cell, according to Ndiwa Cherotwo, the family chairperson.
“We decided to bury the bodies so as to give us time for investigations,” says Cherotwo.
Emmanuel Labu, the chairperson of LC3 East division, says most of the parents in Matingot cell, Karasa ward, indulge a lot in daytime drinking, which results in frequent domestic violence-related issues.
“There is more drinking than responsibility amongst most men in this ward,” says Labu.
Scovia Kusuro, a resident, has asked the authorities to address the issue of domestic violence on a serious note because of its life-consuming nature.
Police investigations so far show that Chemutai and her father had a fight on October 24, when they found out she was pregnant for the second time while she was still in their care.
Joy Chemutai, 25, and her son Jonathan, 4, were burnt.