A festive weekend in Naivasha’s Kabati Estate ended in horror Monday when a medical intern, sworn to preserve life, surrendered to police after allegedly taking one.

The 26-year-old suspect, currently attached to the Naivasha Sub-County Hospital, walked into a local police station minutes after the incident, confessing to the killing of his girlfriend, 42-year-old Susan Wanjiru. The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the lakeside town, juxtaposing the season’s lingering joy with a grim reminder of the domestic violence scourge that continues to plague Kenyan households.

A Healer Accused

Police reports indicate the suspect turned himself in shortly after a violent altercation at the couple's residence. Authorities in Naivasha confirmed they are detaining the medic as investigations commence into what triggered the fatal dispute.

According to preliminary findings cited by The Standard, the incident followed a night of festive celebrations. Neighbors and witnesses described a chaotic scene that shattered the quiet of the residential estate, leaving a community struggling to reconcile the suspect's professional standing with the brutality of the alleged crime.

• The Suspect: A 26-year-old medical intern at Naivasha Sub-County Hospital.
• The Victim: Susan Wanjiru, 42, a mother of two.
• The Scene: Kabati Estate, a middle-class residential area in Naivasha.

Shattered Lives

For the family of Susan Wanjiru, the loss is immeasurable. Friends and relatives who gathered at the scene were overcome with emotion, struggling to process the sudden violence that has left two children without a mother.

While details of the motive remain scarce, police sources suggest the altercation stemmed from a domestic disagreement that escalated rapidly. The age gap between the intern and the victim—16 years—has been noted in initial reports, though investigators have warned against speculation until a full statement is recorded.

This incident adds to a worrying statistic of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in Kenya. Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) has previously highlighted that over 40% of women in Kenya have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner, a figure that often spikes during high-pressure holiday seasons.

"We are currently processing the suspect and securing the scene," a police source in Naivasha noted. "Justice will take its course, but for now, our focus is on the grieving family."