The uncle to Caroline Ombworo, a 23-year-old woman from Lumama Village in Lugari Ward, Lugari Constituency, who allegedly murdered her baby to save her marriage, has spoken on the predicament.
Caroline, who is currently in police custody at Lumakanda Police Station as investigations into the incident continue, murdered her child, Billy Odhiambo, by suffocating him with clothes and throwing him into a pit latrine, according to Lugari Sub-county OCPD Bernard Ngungu.
She committed the crime on Sunday afternoon after remaining alone in the compound and then left for work.
She works as a hairdresser.
The woman led police to the scene on Monday, November 14, 2022, and was arrested together with her husband, Enock Eshipapi. Her husband would later be released for lacking a case to answer.
David Omido, Caro’s maternal uncle from Ivona in Mautuma Ward, said he had been taking care of the 4-year-old child and even schooling him before Caro came for him.
“I wanted to educate the child but they came and stole him using a motorbike. I want her jailed for being so ruthless. She should have left the child with me if taking care of him is that difficult,” Mr. Omido said.
He added that the boy’s father is not known and that Caro brought him home when he was only three-months-old.
The uncle said the woman doesn’t have any mental problem and that the action she took was out of clear mind.
Save her marriage
Lugari Location chief Evans Adavaji investigated the matter and found out that the woman could have made the move in a desperate attempt to save her ailing marriage.
The chief said Caroline had been in an unending feud with her husband over the deceased child, her husband continually accusing her for lying to him during courtship that she didn’t have any child, only for Caro to bring him home after they got married.
“The man accused his wife of lying to him during their courtship about not having any children but later bringing home a son sired by another man. The husband has been demanding that she takes the boy to stay with the woman’s parents or his father for their marriage to survive,” the chief said.
The woman is still cooling heels at Lumakanda Police Station as her child’s body lies at the Chebaywa Mortuary.
Sam Oduor is the editor-in-chief at the Western Kenya Times who leverages the power of the Internet in telling stories that shape opinions.
