A cloud of sorrow hung over Kavote village in Kirinyaga County as Andrew Nyaga was laid to rest by his family, friends and colleagues. He was brutally abducted, tortured and murdered last week.
Tears flowed freely as Nyaga’s casket was lowered into the grave on Saturday, with some mourners collapsing under the weight of grief.
Speakers at the ceremony described the former Deputy Manager in the Department of Catering at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH), as a humble and generous man whose life had been cut short by criminals and called for a swift investigation to bring the culprits to justice.
The late Andrew Nyaga. He was lured from his bedroom through a phone call.
Photo credit: Pool
On February 2, 2026, Nyaga left his rental home in Gatong’ora, Ruiru, to meet someone he was believed to know.
The next day, his body was discovered, tortured and dumped on a roadside near Sagana in Kirinyaga County, just a few metres from Machakos County. His vehicle had been stolen but was later found abandoned in Thika.
Nyaga, the third of six children, was recovering from a leg injury when he was killed. The postmortem revealed a broken skull and a deep cut to one ear, suggesting that the murder was carried out with extreme cruelty.
According to his elder brother, Sammy Nduruci, Nyaga had been on sick leave when he received a phone call and left to meet the caller, the last time he was seen alive.
The body was discovered the following morning by schoolchildren, who alerted the authorities. Residents reported the matter to the police, and Nyaga’s body was taken to Murang’a Hospital for a postmortem examination.
Andrew Nyaga, 43, who was found murdered on February 3, 2026, and his body dumped along Kenol- Sagana road.
Photo credit: Pool
The family initially searched for him for four days, unaware that the body had already been lodged at the hospital mortuary. They eventually identified him and transferred his remains to the KUTRRH mortuary.
Nyaga’s sister, Grace Wanjiru, revealed that after he was abducted, the kidnappers sent ransom messages demanding Sh150,000.
“We later realised it was a cruel mockery as the abductors already had killed him while pretending he was alive,” she said.
His wife, Edith Muringo, recounted that she had left home for the market around 8 am and returned at 5 pm to find him missing.
Attempts to contact him raised alarm, and by the evening, his disappearance was reported to Gatong’ora Police Station.
“My husband sounded troubled when I spoke to him, and I grew even more worried when he did not return home,” she said.
“He was my confidant, my friend and my love. Life without him will be hard,” Muringo said. Nduruci added, “He used to help everyone in need. We do not understand why his life was snuffed out.”
The family has appealed for justice. Nyaga’s mother, Nancy Njeri, said: “The death of my son is a huge blow. Those responsible for this gruesome murder must be exposed and punished according to the law.”
Before the burial, Nyaga’s colleagues at KUTRRH held a candlelight vigil to honour his memory.
