A long-simmering land dispute at Wi Kawiti village in Gem Central location, Homa Bay County has ended in a tragedy that has left residents questioning how those tasked with guiding the next generation could turn to such violence.

On Sunday afternoon, a confrontation over a boundary line escalated into a fatal attack.

A headteacher of a local public primary school and his brother, also a teacher, stand accused of hacking their neighbor, Joseph Owuoth, to death.

Owuoth, a retired teacher himself, was attacked alongside his wife in a flurry of clubs and machetes.

While Owuoth succumbed to his injuries at Kisii County Hospital, his wife remains in critical condition.

According to Acting Senior Chief Peter Oula, the tragedy was years in the making.

Despite numerous attempts by his office to mediate, the families remained deadlocked.

Ironically, the law was just weeks away from intervening; a court ruling on the boundary was scheduled for February 18.

Instead of waiting for the gavel, the suspects allegedly took the law into their own hands.