On February 27, 2018, residents of Subukia were faced with a shocking incident where a police constable shot his wife and daughter 20 times.
It wasn't clear what made the constable, Cosmas Biwott turn the gun on his family, wife Jane Njoki and five-year-old daughter Shantel Nyambura.
Gunshots and screams from Suswa Anti-Stock Theft Unit camp emanated as the heinous act was being committed.
Recalling the incident, the deceased's grandmother Jane Njoki Nderitu described the brutal murders as a painful moment.
Upon hearing the gunshots, the grandmother called the victim's phone hoping to get a response. Her call, however, went unanswered as Njoki's phone was off.
“The death of my granddaughter was so painful. When I heard the gunshots, I thought it was cattle theft suspects, only to receive shocking news of her death. This was such a brutal act,” an emotional Nderitu was quoted by The Standard.
According to reports at the time, the officer pumped at least 20 bullets in Njoki and their young daughter before committing suicide.
A distraught Nderitu recalled that her granddaughter was in an abusive relationship with the officer picking quarrels that would often lead to him physically attacking her.
“I advised my granddaughter to quit her marriage, as I did not see it last because the officer seemed not ready to settle. More often, she suffered injuries from his brutal attacks,” she stated.
Njoki was the family's sole breadwinner at the time of her death, leaving her family in abject poverty.
She is survived by her daughter, Bridgit Wambui (10) who is in the care of the aged grandmother.
Njoki’s mother Sarah Wambui stated that life had gotten harder for her family after the passing of her daughter.
