Turkana Mother Kills Two Children, Buries Them Before Taking Her Own Life
According to police, Mbogo is said to have used a poisonous chemical known as “redcat poison” and subsequently hanged himself.
There has been worry from government agencies over the rising number of family-based murder-suicide cases reported around the nation. Photo/courtesy.
By Ruth Sang
Turkana County police have launched investigations into a horrific incident in which a 35-year-old mother murdered her two children, buried them in a shallow grave, before committing suicide. The incident happened on Sunday, October 26, 2025, at the Nachukui of Todonyang, and left the community stunned.
The woman, Hellen Akai, is believed to have strangled her two sons, aged four and two years, and buried them secretly by their residence. The police explain that Akai conducted the act when she was left alone with the children. In the evening, she had also reportedly dug a shallow trench and placed their corpses where they rested before she returned home, where she is reported to have hanged herself.
Her dead body was discovered hanging from the roof truss of her house with a rope wrapped around her neck. The cause of the accident is not known as there was neither a suicide message nor note left behind.
Neighbors raised the alarm after noticing an unusual silence around Akai’s home. They told police that the children, who were usually seen playing outside, had not been spotted all day, prompting them to report the matter. Police officers responding to the distress call visited the homestead, where they uncovered the shallow grave and exhumed the children’s bodies. The bodies of the mother and her sons were moved to the local mortuary for autopsy.
The citizens had reported that Akai was calm and gentle and noted that she did not show any indications of having suffered emotional trauma before the accident. The detectives are now trying to determine what could have led her to make such a decision.
There has been worry from government agencies over the rising number of family-based murder-suicide cases reported around the nation. Cops observe that these instances have been on the rise, where most reported cases are family members who are either psychologically or financially stressed.
Just a week earlier, in Suswa, Narok County, another sad case was reported when Nahashon Mbogo poisoned his two six-year-old and four-year-old daughters and subsequently took his own life. According to police, Mbogo is said to have used a poisonous chemical known as “redcat poison” and subsequently hanged himself.
Experts link such tragedies to a mix of reasons like mental illness, economic hardship, depression, and relationship breakdown. World Health Organization (WHO) also notes that unemployment, abuse of substances, bereavement, and economic hardship are often found to be associated with suicidal conduct.
Government authorities have since called on Kenyans to report for help when facing emotional or economic hardship, claiming that mental healthcare and counseling services can be accessed in a bid to prevent such devastating incidents.
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