Kamati ya roho chafu! Man kills neighbour over cows' maize eating feud

Piece by: Mpasho News
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A man was beaten to death at Kendege village, Kuria East Sub County after he complained of neighbours’ cows eating his maize plantation.

The deceased’s mother Hannah Mwita said her son Musa Muniko was killed by his neighbour Marwa Chacha after the neighbour’s cows wandered into the deceased’s maize garden.

According to Hanna, efforts to reconcile the two families traditionally did not work resulting to Marwa killing her son.

She said the deceased went to complain to the accused saying his cattle had eaten his maize plantation but a mere verbal exchange turned deadly resulting to Marwa beating Muniko to death using crude weapons.

She said the two families later agreed that the accused family was to pay Muniko’s family 20 herd of cattle as compensation traditionally for the destroyed maize.

But later the accused family reneged on the agreement and wanted to compensate only six animals which irked the deceased family to now seek justice by using other means possible.

The wife to the deceased Ghati Musa said that the deceased was attacked in broad daylight and the culprit is now at large.

A brother to the deceased Dickson Masui Mwita said that the accused is now at large in neighbouring Tanzania and efforts to bring him back to face justice have not borne fruits since he committed the crime last month.

He now wants Government security agencies to intervene and help the family seek justice.

Maeta location chief Tabitha Muruga said that the family reported the matter to her and she has taken up the issue with the relevant authorities to help the family seek justice.

She said efforts were underway to bring Marwa back to Kenya from his hideaway in Tanzania.

Cases of crime suspects crossing to neighbouring Tanzania to evade justice have been on rise in Kuria Sub County.

KNA by Geoffrey Satia