Woman 'has hands cut off' by infertile husband for not giving birth to a son
Witnesses saw walls of couple's house covered in blood after woman was allegedly viciously attacked
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Your support makes all the difference.A woman allegedly had her hands cut off by her infertile husband in Kenya, after he blamed her for not bearing any children for him.
Stephen Ngila, 35, was arrested by officers in the town of Machakos after his wife Jackline Mwende, 27, accused him of attacking her with a machete, severely slashing her forehead, face and wrists in the process.
A witness told local media she saw blood covering walls inside the couple’s home and a severed hand on the floor of the kitchen, while Mrs Mwende’s other hand was almost entirely severed.
The couple had attended a hospital in Nairobi in 2014 to seek medical advice as to why they were unable to have children, Mrs Mwende told LA Times.
Mr Ngila was apparently told by doctors he “had a problem” and was advised to seek help at a fertility clinic, which he continually refused to do.
Mrs Mwende claims her husband would drink to excess and beat her, although she was advised by a local pastor to persist with her marriage against the wishes of her parents.
He thought he had killed me, but God is great
The couple met seven years ago and married two years later, with Mrs Mwende running a small business in Machakos thanks to an investment by her husband.
Describing the incident, Mrs Mwende said: “I saw him, and he told me: ‘Today is your last day’. I never thought something like this would happen to me.
“He was a good man. He was a church man. The first days of our marriage were happy days. We were living well together as a husband and wife. But then he was very brutal. He used to beat me.
“He thought he had killed me, but God is great. I hope other people, or other victims, may learn my story and speak up.”
Mr Ngila remains in police custody, awaiting trial over the attack. Members of his family have reportedly denied the charges, arguing Mrs Mwende has “loose morals” and may have been attacked by a business rival.
In 2015, the Kenyan government introduced legislation which outlawed domestic violence and provided restraining orders in the event of marital violence.
Around 45% of Kenyan women between the ages 15 and 49 have experienced either physical or sexual violence, with the majority of attacks taking place at home according to the Gender Violence Recovery Center at Nairobi Women’s Hospital.
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