A 34-year-old Kenyan man allegedly chopped off
the hands of his wife of seven years with a large knife because she cannot
have children, in what is said to be the most atrocious cases of
domestic violence.
28-year-old
Jackline Mwende from Kathama Village, Masii in Machakos County, had her
hands chopped off at the wrist by her husband, Stephen Ngila Thenge (right) on
July 24.
She is also
nursing injuries on her head and neck from the gruesome attack.
Relatives say the couple had been having issues and Ms Mwende wanted
to leave her husband but was advised against it by "their pastor"
Ms Mwende, who
spoke told the Nation Kenya at her father's Kathama home, where she
now stays after her discharge from the hospital on Friday, July 29, said
that before the
attack, they had separated for about three months over failure to have
children
"I could not understand why he was blaming me yet we had gone to
hospital last year and the doctors had said he was the one with issues,
which could be corrected," she said. She said her husband, a tailor at Masii town, refused to follow up on treatment.
"He moved out of our house three months ago and came back
on Sunday (July 24) at around 8.30pm. When I opened the door, he said
‘today is your last day’ and started slashing me with the panga."
Ms Mwende called out for help but the man fled before neighbours arrived.
"They were all afraid of touching me, they thought I was dead. I was
rushed to Machakos Hospital where I was given painkillers and got a
blood transfusion. I was discharged on Friday."
Shocked villagers described Mr Thenge is a very "polite man". The man was arrested on Monday July 25 in Machakos town
hours after he fled his home in Masii.
Ms Mwende's jobless parents are now appealing for help to take care of their child.
Mr Samuel Munyoki said:
"We want justice for our daughter. The person who
did this should pay for it. She is now disabled and will need artificial
hands to get her life together but we can’t afford anything. We are
poor, we can’t even afford her painkillers."
Ms Mwende said she was leaving everything to God even as she
expected justice from the courts. Machakos women Representative Dr Susan
Musyoka condemned violence and
said justice must be done.
