Jealous Second Wife Allegedly Drowns Co-Wife’s Two Children in Ngwerere River

A 26-year-old woman of Meanwood Kwamwena Phase 4 has been arrested after she allegedly threw her husband’s two young children into the Ngwerere River at lunchtime on Tuesday, in a suspected act of jealousy rooted in a polygamous marriage dispute.

Police have identified the suspect as Mary Kachilika, the second wife of 29-year-old Titus Kamanga. She is accused of killing a six-year-old and a two-year-old, both children of Kamanga’s first wife, 26-year-old Fanny Kanyinji. The incident occurred around 12:00 hours while Kamanga was away at work.

According to police and eyewitness accounts, the children were eating inside the house while their mother was outside doing household chores. Kanyinji said she became alarmed when she suddenly heard her children screaming. “I heard frantic cries that made my heart skip,” she recounted. “When I rushed inside, their plates were still warm on the floor, but my children were gone.”

Following the sound of the screams, Kanyinji ran toward the nearby Ngwerere River, where she found a fisherman confronting Kachilika. The fisherman, 28, reportedly witnessed the suspect throw the children into the river and immediately intervened. “I saw her toss the children into the water,” the fisherman said. “I dropped my fishing rod and ran after her before she could escape.”

The motive behind the alleged killings is believed to be jealousy, as Kachilika had no children of her own. A family acquaintance, speaking on condition of anonymity, said tensions had been brewing in the household. “She struggled with the fact that her co-wife had two children while she had none. There was constant friction,” the source claimed.

Police spokesperson Chipo Kaitisha confirmed the arrest and said officers responded swiftly to the scene alongside Fire Brigade personnel. “Police officers, together with Fire Brigade personnel, visited the scene. However, the bodies of the two children have not yet been recovered, and search operations are ongoing,” Kaitisha said.

Authorities have since taken Kachilika into custody as investigations continue. She is expected to be formally charged with murder. Meanwhile, search teams remain at the river attempting to recover the bodies.

The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the Meanwood Kwamwena community, with residents expressing disbelief and grief over the deaths. What was meant to be an ordinary afternoon in a family home has instead turned into a devastating loss that has left two parents mourning and a community in anguish.