Police pursue man suspected of killing wife

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Police in Bahati Sub-County, Nakuru County, are hunting for a man who allegedly hacked his wife to death.

Jackline Awuor’s headless body was discovered in a quarry within Bahati on January 30, 2026. She was a security guard.

Bahati Sub County Commander Charity Karimi, who confirmed the incident, said that the deceased, 30, had just moved out of a house she shared with her husband, Evans Abuti.

She said that preliminary investigations established that the couple had a history of domestic violence.

“We have information that the husband had allegedly threatened to kill the deceased if she left him,” said Karimi.

She confirmed that once Awuor missed work, a search was conducted and her body was found in one of the quarries.

Further, she said they were searching for her head, which had been dismembered from her body, among other missing body parts.

"The husband who is the suspect is at large, but we are pursuing him. The matter is still under investigation, but we are optimistic that the culprit will be arrested and charged,” she said.

According to Karimi, the suspect had fled with their three-year-old daughter, and they last traced him in Kakamega County.

Ann Atieno, who was struggling to accept that her elder sister was no more, said that they suspect that the husband of the deceased, who had fled, was the killer.

“On Sunday, March 29, I received a distressing call from my younger sister that our elder sister had not reported to work, despite leaving home in the morning,” she said.

She said that concerned colleagues who traced her movements using the company’s system said she never made it to her next assignment on Sunday as expected.

Worried, Atieno said that she told the younger sister, who was near Awuor’s house, to follow up.

She said that a search was mounted after they reported the matter, leading to the shocking discovery of her body.

“My sister called and said that along the path Awuor always followed to work, they found her gloves and earrings dumped, and blood spots were seen,” she said.

After ten minutes, Atieno said she was called with the sad news that her sister had been killed and her head chopped off.

“When I reached the scene, I saw the horror; her body had just been placed on a stone with no head. She was still in her security uniform; she was still wearing her boots. I know my sister well, even without the head,” she said.

She described her sister as a hardworking and trustworthy person, having worked as a guard with the same company for over three years.

She said Awuor had a child with the suspect, and their marriage was a “come we stay” arrangement that had lasted for four years.

“He had barred her from visiting or talking to us, saying we were a bad influence on our sister,” she lamented.

She said she had warned her sister about the man because their relationship was allegedly marred with violence and threats to her life, something she failed to report to the police.

“I last saw her three weeks ago. She said she was stressed as she wanted to leave him because he had threatened her. She said she also wanted to place her daughter in a daycare,” said Atieno.