A father poisoned his three children before poisoning himself after a quarrel with his wife at Siyenga village, Seregea sub location in Likuyani Sub County.
Confirming the incident, Seregeya sub location assistant chief, Mrs. Diana Otenda Owano, told the press that the man identified as Mr. Felix Atira forced his two sons and one daughter to consume the poison before he took the same substance in an attempt to commit suicide.
Mrs. Owano said that the couple had been experiencing turbulent moments in the recent past.
Speaking to westfm.co.ke from the hospital, the couple’s 12 year old daughter recounted the events of the night detailing how their father, who is a boda boda operator, forced them to consume the poison.
“Our father arrived home at about 10 pm and immediately made a quarrelsome phone conversation with our mother,” said the girl.
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The man then handed her the gadget and forced her to make, what she described as unspeakable remarks to the mother.
“He produced a bottle which contained a greenish liquid and poured it into cups, prayed before he forced the three of us to drink it with assurance that it was herbal medicine,” she added.
She said that they all began experiencing stomach upsets accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea immediately after taking the substance.
“I reached my father’s phone and dashed out, called my mother and informed her on the happenings before I struggled to our immediate neighbor’s house and raised the alarm,” recalled the girl.
Neighbors rushed to the home where they rescued and rushed the father and children to Likuyani Sub County hospital.
Speaking to West media at the hospital, Atira said his attempt of committing suicide was motivated by alleged threats from his brother in law.
“My brother in law threatened to kill me over claims that I was frustrating his sister who is my wife,” claimed Atira, adding that the decision to kill their children was to prevent them from suffering in future.
Kavwengesi, the man’s wife, who had visited the family at the hospital, told reporters present that the couple’s unending domestic quarrels and her decision to quit the family was precipitated by the husband’s present wish to marry a second wife.
“He has assaulted me on several occasions for refusing to shake hands with the woman he desires to marry,” claimed Kavwengesi who recalled one incident where the man allegedly went berserk and almost strangled her to death.
“On that fateful day he eventually turned his anger on household property where he destroyed a cupboard and furniture,” reported the wife.
According to medical practitioners at the hospital, the four were responding well to drugs and have been declared out of danger.
The medics said samples of the dangerous substance had been taken for laboratory tests in order to establish its identity
