A man attacked his estranged wife and their two young sons with a suspected corrosive substance believed to be acid before using the same solution on himself in a devastating incident in Kiganjo Estate, Thika, on the night of Friday, June 5, 2026.
According to reports, The man, 34-year-old Martin Kamau, and his wife Phylis Wambui, 30 had reportedly been living separately after domestic disputes.
He allegedly invited her to his house to prepare food for their children, and an argument reportedly broke out.
Their sons, Talan Kamau, 6 and Terence Waweru, 4 returned from a shop and were caught up in the attack.
Neighbours heard screams and rushed to help.
Kamau and his firstborn son Talan died on Friday, shortly after the incident.
The last born, Terence Waweru, died of injuries a few hours later while he was being transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital for specialised treatment.
Phylis, who had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Gatundu Level 5 Hospital, died on Saturday while undergoing treatment.
Family members said the the incident may have resulted from the lengthy domestic standoff between the couple who have been living separately for months.
Speaking in Kiganjo, Susan Mwangi, a cousin to the deceased, said the couple had separated following domestic disagreement, with Kamau remaining with the children.
She alleged that Kamau had called Phyllis to his house on Friday evening to cook for the said children.
“She came to cook for the children and the two started quarreling. The children had been sent to the shop, but when they returned, they found the house locked and the parents arguing from inside,” she said.
Mwangi added that, the children knocked the door for permission to get in. When the door was opened, their father poured a suspected Acid solution on them.
The children ran outside screaming painfully, alerting neighbours who rushed to the scene and found the family groaning from pain of the powerful chemical.
A visit to the house on Saturday showed no visible signs of fire, fueling suspicions that a corrosive substance had been used to commit the crime.
Police recovered a container suspected to contain insecticide and another containing a corrosive substance, which will be useful for forensic investigations.
Thika West Sub-County Police Commander John Kimanthi confirmed that investigations are ongoing.
The bodies have been moved to General Kago Funeral Home in Thika pending post-mortem procedures.
