Homa Bay cop kills three children, dies by suicide after domestic dispute

Grief engulfed Kagoga village in Homa Bay County after a police officer killed his three children before committing suicide over a dispute with his wife.

David Okebe committed suicide in his house at Kagoga village, Kakdhimu East Location, in Rachuonyo West Sub-county on Sunday. He was attached to Marsabit Police Station.

Okebe killed his six-year-old son, his five-year-old daughter and his in-law’s five-year-old son. It is suspected that Okebe poisoned his children before he hanged himself in the house.

Trouble began some time back when Okebe disagreed with his wife. The wife then fled her matrimonial home with the children for her parents’ home.

Homa Bay County Police Commander Lawrence Koilem said the police constable took days off from his work and went to the wife’s parents’ home. He took the three children to his home.

However, on Sunday, people who went into his house found the four dead. The bodies of his son and daughter were found in the bed, while the body of his in-law’s son lay in a chair in the sitting room.

“The information we have got is that the officer disagreed with his wife. The wife went to her parents’ home with the children. The officer followed her and took the children back before this incident occurred,” Koilem said.

Koilem said the children’s mouths exuded foam, an indication that they might have been poisoned.

“Foam was exuding from the mouths of the children, but they did not have visible injuries,” Koile said.

 Koilem said their preliminary investigations revealed that the officer committed suicide due to differences with his wife and in-laws. This came through a suicide note the deceased officer left.

“The officer left a suicide note in which he was accusing his wife and in-laws as the cause of the problems which made him commit suicide and kill the children,” the police boss added.

Koimet urged parents to intervene in resolving disputes in marriages of their children.

He also told residents to seek guidance and counselling whenever they faced difficulties in life.

“If the disputes between the officer and his wife were resolved amicably, the deaths would not have occurred. Let our people seek guidance and counselling whenever they face difficult problems,” Koimet said.

The bodies were moved to Home Bay Teaching and Referral Hospital Mortuary.