A woman is fighting for her life at the Kenya Defence Forces Memorial Hospital in Nairobi after she sustained serious injuries from an attack by her husband, a KDF officer.
Addressing the press on Sunday, June 19, the patient's mother Susan Langat noted that the attack took place on Saturday, June 18 when the KDF officer, Shadrack Ng'etich arrived home.
Langat noted that earlier, the two had peacefully had tea immediately after the officer's arrival.
While she (Susan) was in the kitchen preparing lunch, Shadrack left and returned with a machete which she used to attack Mercy Ng'etich.
The KDF officer had gone to Mercy's home in an attempt to try and save their marriage but it seems it did not go as planned.
Susan noted that her daughter's hand was chopped off and despite her desperate cries, the attacker kept on hitting her.
"She brought tea to the kitchen. Mercy took tea and bread to him. When they nearly finished their breakfast, I went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
"I found him chopping my daughter. He continued attacking her even after she fell to the ground," stated Langat.
After the incident, Mercy was rushed to Kericho County Referral Hospital before she was referred to Kenya Defence Forces hospital in Nairobi.
Shadrack, on the other hand, was attacked by angry residents after the incident. He was treated at Kericho County Referral Hospital before he was arrested by the military police.
Cases of domestic violence have been on the rise in the country recently, with the government being blamed over its inaction and failure to ensure robust mitigation measures are put in place.
In October 2021, the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Kenya) asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to declare Gender-Based Violence (GBV) a national disaster.
FIDA chairperson, Nancy Ikinu, made the request following the gruesome murder of Olympian Agnes Tirop, whose lifeless body was found inside her Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet home on Wednesday, October 13, 2022.
