BY WINSTONE MUSISI
A family in Uasin Gishu County is demanding justice for their kin who was brutally killed at her house by an unknown assailant on Monday afternoon.
The lifeless body of Catherine Ruto, 29, who was seven months pregnant was discovered by her grade five child lying in a pool of blood in the house at Kosachei village in Turbo Sub County as she got home from school the fateful day in the evening.
The slain deceased, according to the family and neigbours , had multiple knife stabs on the neck and stomach inflicted by an unknown assailant.
“We are yet to come to terms with the gruesome killing of our kin who was found dead at her house on Monday afternoon. We want the police to expedite investigations into the matter without further delay,” said a neighbor Vincent Karoney.
Man came with a shopping bag
He claimed that a young man from Baringo County who visited with a bag of shopping was seen at the deceased house at around 12 noon before she was found lying in a pool of blood in the evening.
Karoney said that the young man who is still at large and said to have visited Ruto on the material day was not seen leaving the house.
At the time of the incident, Ruto’s two children who are in grade five and one were in school.
Her husband, Patrick Ng’etich, who is a Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) soldier posted to Somalia was also at work.
However, according to the neighbors, they were alerted by the deceased’s grade 5 child who found her mother lying in a pool of blood as she got home from school.
The child screamed, alerting neighbours
The minor, on stumbling on the lifeless body of her mother, screamed alerting neighbors who got to the scene and found Ruto’s lifeless body on the floor of her living room.
“The minor found the house locked and when she opened she found her mother on the floor. She even tried waking her up thinking she was asleep before screaming,” said Karoney.
Nancy Bittok, a neighbor to the deceased, said that when they got to the house, they found blood spattered all over the place and the deceased lying lifeless on the floor.
“It was painful to witness such an incident that has shocked every villager. It is even worse because Ruto’s young children witnessed such a traumatic scene. We ask the police to investigate and help get justice for our neighbor,” pleaded Bittok.
Wife of 10 years
The deceased husband Patrick Ng’etich said that he communicated with his slain wife of 10 years often and on the fateful day called her at midday.
“I called her and we talked for about 40 minutes. I then told her to eat her lunch and rest, while promising to call her later. But when I called at 3pm, the call went unanswered. I called at 5 pm and a neighbor answered, breaking the sad news to me,” recounted Ng’etich.
Sugoi location Chief David Samoei condemned the incident saying that the officers from the directorate of criminal investigations have moved into action to bring to book those connected to her killing.