Murder suspect Anthony Mwenda.
A man allegedly murdered his wife in Tharaka-Nithi County four months ago and then moved to Murang'a County some 300km away to escape justice, but a drunken slip-up blew his cover on Monday, November 11.
Anthony Mwenda had been living in a village called Kimorori Wempa in Murang'a, where he eked out a living as a casual labourer.
He disappeared from his village in Tharaka-Nithi after his wife of two years, Millicent Mwenda, was found hacked to death in their home on July 11, 2024.
"For the short period he has been with us, we had come to know him as a man of short temper...a little argument was enough to see him start throwing punches...we lived with him the way we do with electricity," says David Kimani, a member of the Wempa Residents Association security group.
But the events of November 11, 2024 were extreme, leading to Mwenda's arrest and confirmation that he was a murder suspect on the run. The fugitive had been hiding in the small village of Wempa.
According to Murang'a South Deputy County Commissioner Gitonga Murungi, the young man went to a bar and after drinking two glasses of spirits, he became unruly.
"We have gathered that he was in the bar at around 9pm where he picked a quarrel with a woman," he said.
A waitress told Nation.Africa that Mwenda paid Sh100 for his orders and Sh80 for the company of a woman.
"He was taking a brand that goes for Sh50 per glass while the woman took a Sh80 big cup...But Mwenda wanted the woman to host him for the night in her house, a request she turned down," the waitress said.
She added that the woman said she could not accommodate the man because her children were at home.
The argument was that if Mwenda did not have a house of his own, then he would need some money to rent one for the night.
"That is when Mwenda's short temper exploded...He rose up and declared that such complications are the ones that made him travel all the way from Meru to hide in Murang'a," the waitress said.
He allegedly claimed that killing a woman was not new to him and that he could do it again.
Word spread through Wempa and in no time the members of the area community policing committee were informed.
Word reached the chief, and in the same breath, the Murang'a South Security Committee was also informed.
"That is when a team was sent to pick him up for questioning. He was turned in, and in the morning after his intoxication had worn off, we sought to know him better," Mr Murungi said.
An ID card he had indicated that he was from Chuka in Tharaka Nithi County, and further indicated that he was from Mugwe location.
"A photo of his ID card was sent to Tharaka Nithi County security committee for scrutiny and profiling and that is when we received a report that he was a murder suspect on the run," the deputy county commissioner said.
According to the report that Tharaka Nithi filed with Murang'a, Mwenda had been reported on suspicion of killing his wife on July 11, 2024.
"They had lived for two years as man and wife and in a dispute, the woman suffered fatal machete cuts on her head and legs," the report reads.
It adds that neighbours who responded to the screams that accompanied the violence found Millicent Mwenda on the ground, writhing in pain and bleeding profusely.
"Beside her was a big club, a black whip and a machete all soaked in blood. More blood on the wall and floor was evidence of the young woman's struggle to escape with her life," the report adds.
Police in Chuka were alerted to the incident. They visited the scene and took the victim to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Mr Mwenda is the prime suspect in the murder.
Tharaka Nithi police boss Zacchaeus Ngeno confirmed the arrest of the suspect on Tuesday. He was arraigned in a Chuka court on Wednesday morning.
"We have been granted custodial orders to hold him for 21 days as we conclude investigations. We are happy with the community vigilance, security teams' response and the cooperation that has made this possible," he said.
He added that after four months of stalled justice for the deceased and her family, due process will finally begin.
