House-help poisons employer’s 2 children, kills colleague’s daughter in macabre revenge mission

By Dolphas Ochola.

Police in Migori County are looking for a middle-aged woman, who allegedly killed a 2-year-old girl through poisoning, and left two other minors hospitalised.

The suspect, who worked as a house-help in Oruba in Migori, allegedly poisoned the children’s food on Monday night.

The deceased girl belonged to a young woman, who also works as a nanny in the same house as the suspect.

The other victims -- both boys aged 2 and 4 years -- belonged to the suspect’s employer.

The children, who survived, are recuperating at the St. Joseph’s Ombo Mission Hospital in Migori.

Bertha Oluoch, the suspect’s employer, said she arrived home from work on Monday evening and found her children in good mood.

However, a few minutes after her arrival, Oluoch said her two children complained of stomach pains.

The primary school teacher said she found the suspect, Belinda Atieno, had already fed the children, packed her belonging and left.

The mother of four said her older twin children – a boy and a girl aged 7 – hadn’t taken dinner, given at the time the other two were eating, they [older children] were out playing.

According to Oluoch, the suspect had prepared potato fries and bananas for supper.

She says she suspects Atieno, who is in her late twenties, poisoned the food, which was also consumed by the other nanny, Linda Endekwa, and her 2-year-old daughter.

The four victims were rushed to hospital by Bertha, where it was discovered that they had eaten contaminated food.

According to Endekwa, Atieno had, recently, complained to her that she [Atieno] hadn’t been paid her fourth months’ salary.

Collins Mwanga, a clinical officer at Ombo Hospital, confirmed that traces of poisonous substances were found in the patients’ systems.

“The patients are currently in a stable condition,” said the medical officer.

Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the suspected killer maid remain unknown.