Police in Kakamega have arrested a 48-year-old man on suspicion of killing his 11-year-old daughter.
It is alleged that the suspect, Julius Mugambi, strangled the girl with a rope on Thursday evening and hid her body in the ceiling.
Police say preliminary investigations reveal that Mugambi had had a fight with his wife, Victoria Vibeya, shortly before the incident, and suspect that he could have murdered the boy to get back at his spouse.
Authorities further say the suspect had dug a grave with the intention of secretly burying the boy’s body.
Mugambi, however, denied the accusation, claiming the Class Five pupil committed suicide but confessed to have beaten up his wife after he claimed to have eavesdropped on a phone conversation between Victoria and another man.
“I thought she was being disrespectful and I slapped her before I went outside and dug a grave where I intended to bury my clothes and hers and later drown myself in a river,” the suspect told journalists.
The man’s wife, Victoria, however alleged that her partner killed the minor after they had argued bitterly over domestic issues.
Villagers said the suspect could have intended to secretly bury the body he had dug behind their house. But Mugambi was quick to deny the claims, explaining that he had no intention to harm his child.
“If I had bad intentions, I would have killed much earlier, I don’t have a problem with my children, I was equally shocked to see the body hanging.”