An 18-year-old woman, Damaris Nthoki, has been charged with manslaughter under section 205 of the Penal Code after allegedly stabbing her husband, Shadrack Mutinda Makau, to death during a domestic dispute over money in their rented house in Huruma Estate, Nairobi.
The tragic incident occurred on August 12 of this year, during a heated argument between the couple.
Mr Makau had returned home at around 8 pm while drunk and asked his wife whether their caretaker’s son had come to collect rent, and she told him that she had not seen him.
He also asked her whether she had bought maize four and vegetables, and she told him that she had no money.
The deceased informed the suspect that he had left Sh500 on top of the cupboard and told her to spend Sh150 only for the maize four and vegetables.
However, the deceased followed his wife to a kiosk where she had gone to buy vegetables and demanded his money back in full, although Ms Nthoki had already spent Sh90.
She left him outside, returned to the house, and kept the remaining amount of the money – Sh410- at the same place she had picked.
Mr Makau arrived at the house again and asked for the money, and the suspect showed him where she had kept the balance after buying vegetables.
Tensions escalated when Mr. Makau insisted on receiving the full amount he had left on top of a cupboard, despite his wife having already spent a portion of it.
After a quarrel, Ms. Nthoki allegedly retrieved a knife and stabbed her husband in the thigh during their physical altercation.
She told the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) that after the fight, the deceased left the house and returned at around 11pm and apologized to her.
However, he collapsed on the floor, and Ms. Nthoki, assuming it was due to his intoxication, went to sleep, leaving him there.
The next day, she informed her neighbors that her husband remained unconscious in their home.
Concerned neighbors contacted Nyumba Kumi official, who informed the area chief and the police, leading to the discovery of Mr. Makau’s lifeless body in the house.
Police officers from Huruma Police Station arrested Ms. Nthoki and found a blood-stained knife believed to be the murder weapon.
A subsequent postmortem revealed that Mr. Makau’s death resulted from excessive bleeding due to the stab wound.
Ms. Nthoki, who pleaded not guilty, was released on a bond of Sh500,000 with one surety of a similar sum.
The case is scheduled for mention on November 16, with the trial set to commence on April 16 next year.
Neighbours interviewed by the police said the two have been fighting regularly inside their house, and some of them have been listed as witnesses in the house alongside the Nyumba Kumi official and police officers.
The police are actively investigating the incident, collecting evidence such as the knife and blood-stained clothing for the trial.
