Police in Meru have arrested a man accused of hanging his seven-year-old son for allegedly damaging a mobile phone.
The man, according to a police report, hanged his son inside their house as he canned him until neighbours came to the rescue of the wailing child.
The man, identified as Evans Mutwiri, reportedly turned away the neighbours accusing them of invading his privacy.
The adamant neighbours, however, refused to leave until police officers were alerted and arrived at the home only to find the boy unconscious.
“When the police arrived, he denied them access at first. He answered rudely and told them that they were not welcome and that the boy was asleep. The police forced their way into the house and found the boy lying unconsciously,” a neighbour, Florence Mwende, stated.
Laare Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Ezra Zambu, confirmed the arrest. The OCS says the boy died while being taken to the Meru Level V Hospital since the neighbouring health facilities had no capacity to treat the level of injuries he suffered.
The suspect, however, denied killing the minor arguing that he had just disciplined him.
"I swear I did not kill the child. How can I kill my own child? I have never even thought of committing murder," he stated.
The child's mother explained that she heard from people at the police station where she works that a suspect was brought in for killing a child. When she inquired, she found out it was her estranged husband.
"I heard that someone had killed a child. And since I work at the police station serving food to those who have been arrested, I asked to see who he was only to find out that it was my husband," she remarked.
Zambu warned parents against using excessive force when disciplining their children adding that the law shall not spare those who abuse minors.
He further disclosed that a postmortem will be carried out to determine the exact cause of death.
