Police are hunting for a 26-year-old man after he strangled his aunt in a village in Ratta, Kisumu County.

The suspect later sent a text to his relatives confessing he had strangled his aunt identified as Ruth Achieng Apiyo, 60.

Her body was found lying lifeless on bed long after the murder. The nephew lived in the woman’s house by the time the murder happened on January 22 and the motive is yet to be established, police said.

When the relatives received the message, they rushed to the home only to stumble on the body lying in bed.

The suspected assailant had escaped the scene. Police moved the body to the mortuary pending an autopsy even as they searched for the suspect for questioning.

Meanwhile, a foliage harvester was seriously injured when the machine she was using malfunctioned at the Dedan Kimathi University in Kabiruini, Nyeri County.

The woman was busy at a field putting foliage in a harvester machine at the university farm when her right hand was trapped and chopped off on Thursday afternoon.

She was rushed to the hospital in a serious condition.

In Rodi, Homa Bay County, veterinary officials said they are investigating an incident where seven cows died after they had been sprayed with a chemical meant to kill ticks.

The carcasses were disposed of pending investigations.

Meanwhile, a rifle was recovered from a residential house that had been vacated by a tenant in Runda, Nairobi County.

The weapon was wrapped in polythene paper when it was found by a worker who was cleaning the room.

The house was vacated in August 2025 by a Kenyan who police said they were investigating to establish if he is a licensed gun holder.

The man had stayed at the house for eight years, the landlady said.

The Carbine rifle was taken for ballistic tests as part of investigations.