Man Chops Off Wife’s Hands For Not Getting Pregnant 7 Years After Marriage

A Kenyan man who was really fed up with his wife’s inability to conceive has expressed his frustration in a really evil way.

Before the hands of 28-year-old Jackline Mwende were chopped off by her 34-year-old husband, Stephen Ngila over her inability to conceive, their 7-year-old marriage had been mixed with constant fights and abuses.

According to Daily Nation, when the couple visited a hospital in Nairobi, they were told that Ms Mwende was fertile and healthy but her husband had reproductive issues. However, she believed in her marriage and had been advised by a pastor and some of her friends to stay and try to save it.

Their pastor, Patrick Kioko of Masii District SDA church, who was the couple’s best man, said on Monday that the couple’s marriage had been rosy at the beginning but things started changing towards the end of last year.

He said, “It seemed there was hope for reconciliation but the man was not ready to mend the union. In fact, he even moved out and rented a room in Masii town,” adding that Mwende was afraid “to be seen as the one who broke her marriage.”

He continued:

“But we noticed the man was determined to leave. So it was agreed that they live in peace in their separate homes and ask the courts to dissolve the marriage. Because, as a church, we don’t end marriages.”

He said the church was planning to bring them together before the sad incident happened.

“We were shocked how it turned out even after all the effort we put in. Anger is dangerous in a union and this is something we all should learn from,” he added.

Speaking at her father’s Kathama home, where she now stays after her discharge from the hospital on Friday, July 29, Ms Mwende explained that before the attack, they had separated for about 3 months over failure to conceive.

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“I could not understand why he was blaming me yet we had gone to hospital last year and the doctors had said he was the one with issues, which could be corrected,” she said. She said her husband, a tailor at Masii town, refused to follow up on treatment.

He moved out of our house three months ago and came back on Sunday (July 24) at around 8.30pm. When I opened the door, he said ‘today is your last day’ and started slashing me with the panga,” she said.

“They were all afraid of touching me, they thought I was dead. I was rushed to Machakos Hospital where I was given painkillers and got a blood transfusion. I was discharged on Friday,” she said.

Neighbours described Mr Thenge as a very “polite man”. He was arrested on Monday July 25 in Machakos town hours after he fled his home in Masii.

The victim’s father, Mr Samuel Munyoki, said, “We want justice for our daughter. The person who did this should pay for it. She is now disabled and will need artificial hands to get her life together but we can’t afford anything. We are poor, we can’t even afford her painkillers.”

The victim’s mother, Jane Munyoki, recounted with tears rolling down her eyes how she lamented upon hearing about her daughter’s determination to save her marriage. She said,

“I pleaded with her to pack her things and leave their home in Ilinge village because of the constant quarrels, but she said he would change. Then this happened.

I gave him my daughter, who was complete and well, and now she does not have hands. I hope the government does not release him. I am afraid that if he is let go, I will die of depression.”

Ngila has been charged with attempted murder of his wife. He appeared before Wamunyu Law Court Resident Magistrate K. Kibellion. He however denied the charges and was sent to the Machakos GK remand until August 5. He was also denied bond until the same date when the court will rule on the issue.

Meanwhile, Ms Mwende has said said she was leaving everything to God even as she expects justice is served.

She further narrated how she met her hubby, a tailor, in 2010, and she says it was love at first sight, describing him as a “kind and God-fearing” man. She said,

“He taught me how to make dresses and clothes. We fell in love during this time and we had a church wedding three months later.

But he gradually became violent and a drunk. He spent more time in Masii town and would come back late at night, drunk and violent. He also chewed miraa. When he attacked me on Sunday, he was drunk. But I stayed because I wanted to save the marriage and my home.”

Dr Susan Musyoka, Machakos women Representative, condemned violence and said justice must be served.

 Photo credit: Stephen Muthini