Puzzle of headless body found in Kakamega maize plantation
Investigators are probing the identities of two men caught in CCTV footage parking a car belonging to a senior official of a private security firm, who has been missing for four days.
What you need to know:
- A neighbour of the deceased is reported to have stumbled on the body as she was weeding in her farm.
- Death of the mother of five comes in the wake of a spate of killings in Lurambi within the past three months.
Police in Kakamega County are investigating a bizarre incident where the headless body of a woman was found in a maize plantation at Ebusang’ang’a Village, Lurambi Constituency.
The body was identified as that of Ms Arnota Luchende, 53, who was last seen on October 6, 2024 before she disappeared only for her mutilated body to be found in her neighbour’s maize plantation.
Her younger brother, Nicholas Induswe, said that his sister left home on Saturday October 5 but never returned.
“We thought that she went to visit one of our relatives, but we were surprised after we received a call to go and identify her body which was badly mutilated. Her private parts were chopped off and her head was missing,” said Mr Induswe.
Mr Induswe was also taken aback when he noticed the deceased’s body was dressed in clothes they did not recognize as hers.
Rosemary Were, a neighbour of the deceased, is reported to have stumbled on the body as she was weeding in her farm and immediately informed the rest of the villagers.
“Cases of dead people being dumped in farms and by the roadside have recently become rampant in this area. Hardly a week passes without such a case,” she said.
The death of the mother of five comes in the wake of a spate of killings in Lurambi within the past three months.
Residents are now blaming police based in Shibuli and Shisiru for failing in their duty claiming that an unidentified gang was going around the village attacking women yet the law enforcers have not taken any action.
“They are not helping us. This is the fourth body we have found in the last one month yet there is no arrest made in connection with the killings. What is the DCI doing to arrest the perpetrators?” asked Mr John Ongoma, a resident.
Mr Samson Opwoko said the first body was discovered at Stendi Mwoko, followed by others at Sasala, Isango and then Ebusang’ang’a.
“We want the police to tell us who is killing our women. This cannot be happening repeatedly and the authorities are not doing enough to stop it. Unless there is something that we (residents) don’t understand,” said Opwoko.
The residents now suspect that the killings could be linked to some rituals.
"Nearly all the discovered bodies have their tongues interfered with, visible marks on the necks suggesting strangulation and the bodies are usually stuffed inside a white sack then dumped either in a farm or by the roadside," said Mr Opwoko.
On August 22, this year, residents of Isango area on the border of Navakholo and Lurambi constituencies, woke up to a rude shock after they found two bodies of unknown women killed in a similar manner.
The two women appeared to have been strangled and had their tongues protruding. Their bodies were also wrapped in white sacks raising fears that the deaths were ritualistic.
On September 19, around Shirakalu area, the body of another woman was found dumped by the roadside and next to it was a white sack.
Two days later, another body of a woman was found in the same area in Lurambi inside a white sack with her hands tied behind using artificial hair.
According to the residents, the worsening security situation in the area has even forced some locals to seek refuge at various police stations and public hospitals fearing for their safety.
One such family is that of Ms Esther Shikuku which has pitched camp at Malava sub-county hospital compound after her husband and a brother-in-law were reportedly murdered by people known to them.
She said that her husband, Francis Shikuku and his brother Rashid Isaiah, were allegedly murdered following a dispute over a piece of land. The attackers also injured her son who is still fighting for his life in the hospital.
"My son suffered severe injuries after he was assaulted during the attack. Right now we have no place to call home because the people who sold us land have reclaimed it,” she explained.
Kakamega County police commander Beatrice Kananu said they were not aware of the killings, including the latest where a headless body was found in a farm.
"I cannot respond on an issue that I am not aware of. I have not been briefed about the alleged killings," said the county police chief. This is despite officers coming to the scene to collect the body.
