Alex Oyieyo stood before the cameras, his mouth opening to speak, but only a guttural wail of pure, unadulterated agony escaped his lips.

In a scene that has broken the heart of a nation, the father from Mlolongo, Machakos County, found himself unable to articulate the horror that has befallen his home. The alleged poisoning of his three children—Adrian Ochieng (4), Kyla Ann (1), and Keilah Kerubo (1)—by their own mother, Linet Munala, has shattered the quiet community and forced Kenya to confront the invisible, devouring monster of untreated mental health issues within the family unit.

A Pharmacist's Deadly Mix

The suspect, Linet Munala, is not an uneducated desperate woman; she is a trained pharmacist. Police believe she used her professional knowledge to lace the children's food with a lethal substance, likely cyanide, before fleeing the scene on Monday, January 26. The cold calculation implied by her background adds a chilling layer to the tragedy, suggesting this was not a snap decision but a premeditated execution of the innocent.

• The Victims: Three lives, the eldest only four, extinguished before they could even understand the world they were leaving.
• The Manhunt: DCI detectives have launched a nationwide dragnet for Munala, whose phone signal was last traced moving towards the capital.

The Empty House

Neighbors describe the Oyieyo household as "normal," a terrifying descriptor that suggests evil can reside next door without a sound. But the silence in that house now is deafening. The toys are still there; the clothes are still folded. Only the laughter is gone, replaced by the haunting image of a father collapsing under the weight of a grief no human should ever have to bear.

National Crisis

This incident is not isolated. It follows a disturbing spike in filicides across the country, linked to economic pressure and domestic strife. As religious leaders call for prayers and sociologists demand policy changes, Alex Oyieyo remains alone in his darkness. The silence in that house is the loudest sound in the world.