Police in Muragara, Kirinyaga County, have launched a search for a woman suspected of stabbing and killing a man on Christmas Day following a dispute over a ksh60 debt.
According to police reports, the victim died on the spot after sustaining deep stab wounds during a quarrel with the woman, who is believed to have been his lover.
The incident that happened on Thursday, December 25, after the dispute escalated into a fatal confrontation.
Witnesses said the incident occurred at a local drinking joint, where the confrontation reportedly began after the victim refused to pay a bill amounting to ksh60.
When asked to settle the bill, the victim allegedly confronted and assaulted the woman, prompting her to stab him.
“The victim refused to pay and started confronting the woman. I intervened and told him to stop assaulting her. Shortly after, I heard him complain that he had been stabbed,” one witness recounted.
Another witness, who is also the victim’s cousin, said they were celebrating Christmas nearby when they heard a commotion in the neighbourhood. Upon rushing to the scene, he found that his cousin had been stabbed and had already succumbed to his injuries.
The suspect fled the scene and remains on the run. Police have intensified the search as investigations continue, urging members of the public to provide any information that could lead to her arrest.
The victim’s body was taken to a nearby mortuary, where it is being preserved awaiting post-mortem.
The incident adds to a series of violent incidents in the county related to minor debts. In November 2025, a man was stabbed to death over a KSh 50 debt in Kiawaruguru village in Kirinyaga Central by his friend. In the altercation, the suspect allegedly used a kitchen knife to stab his inseparable friend, killing him on the spot.
Also in 2023, a woman from Kirinyaga stabbed her boyfriend to death following a domestic dispute before later surrendering to police.
The series of incidents has prompted local leaders to urge residents to remain calm and resolve disputes peacefully, or seek the intervention of chiefs and the police where amicable solutions cannot be reached.
