A farmhand was found dead after murdering his girlfriend in a murder-suicide incident in Enziu village, Mwingi, Kitui County, police said.
Authorities said the man is believed to have killed 25-year-old Elizabeth Mutethya before taking his own life a few metres from the scene.
The bodies of the two were discovered on Tuesday, lying nearly 200 metres apart, long after the bizarre incident occurred.
Police said the motive behind the attack was yet to be determined, and investigations are ongoing.
Locals discovered the scene and alerted the authorities.
The woman’s body was found dumped in a bush with her throat slit.
It also bore stab wounds to the right side of her head, under her right eye, and on the fingers of her left hand, police said.
Neighbours then led police to another location where the man’s body was found hanging from a tree with a rope around his neck.
At the scene of the suicide, a handbag believed to belong to the woman was recovered. It contained two smartphones that had been switched off and a police abstract form bearing her name.
The deceased man is believed to have been employed as a farmhand in the area for the past year.
Police established that the two were lovers and had been frequently seen together in the village by neighbours.
The murder weapon was not recovered despite a thorough search. The bodies were moved to the morgue for preservation and autopsy.
Suicide remains a serious concern in the country, with police reporting up to five cases daily.
Such incidents have reportedly been on the rise, often linked to love triangles, which are currently under investigation.
Elsewhere, in Dagahaley, Garissa County, authorities are probing the discovery of a decomposed body in a bushy area.
The deceased, identified as 38-year-old Somali national Yunnis Omar Ali, was a refugee in the area.
He was last seen on March 17, police said.
The body was moved to the mortuary pending further procedures.
