Pauline Akinyi, 28, is in hospital with serious injuries after her estranged partner allegedly broke into her parents’ compound and hacked her with a machete. Police in Ukwala have launched investigations, and the suspect was still at large at the time of reporting.
Speaking from her hospital bed, Pauline said the attacker came from behind, leaving her little chance to react or see who he was. She only remembers that he wore a black shirt.
“When he began attacking me with the machete, I screamed out loud for help but he kept attacking me,” she said. The wounds are on several parts of her body.
She explained that she and the man lived together for a year in Seme, Kisumu County, before tensions became unbearable around October 2025.
She left and went to stay with her family in Ligega, hoping for peace. Her parents later invited him to talk through the dispute, but he refused to come.
Pauline alleges the trouble did not end when she moved. She says he turned up at her workplace on several occasions, and that she had already reported his threats to the police before the attack.
“He has not given me peace,” she said, appealing to the authorities to arrest him and bring him to book.
Her story has drawn sympathy online, with many Kenyans demanding justice and quick action from the police. It has also revived the wider debate on femicide and gender-based violence, and well-wishers have sent prayers for her recovery.