For more than five years, Milcah Wambui shared a home with a man neighbours described as loving and caring.
To those who knew the couple in Kirinyaga’s Rwambiti village, the man appeared an unlikely suspect in the brutal killing that has left a family grieving and a community in shock.
But on October 13, 2026, the relationship ended in bloodshed when Wambui was hacked to death in an attack reportedly witnessed by her two children.
Her partner, the prime suspect in the killing, fled, leaving Wambui's lifeless body inside their home.
The horror of that night came into focus when neighbours heard the children crying and rushed to find out what had happened.
They found the house locked from the outside. Suspecting something was wrong, they forced their way in, only to be confronted by a devastating scene of Wambui’s lifeless body and her children wailing nearby.
The neighbours immediately alerted the police who arrived at the scene and moved the body to the mortuary for postmortem examination.
To those who knew Wambui outside her home, she was a hardworking woman and a devoted mother who spent years earning a living to provide for her children.
Fredrick Muciimi, the owner of the bar where she worked, said he employed Wambui in 2013 and remembered her as a diligent worker who got along well with customers.
“She was obedient, humble and hardworking. Customers loved her very much,” Mr Muciimi said.
Beyond the workplace Wambui was committed to raising her children and ensuring they had the necessities of life.
“She took care of her children and ensured that they were provided with what they needed for survival,” he added.
Milcah Wambui who was hacked to death by her boyfriend at Rwambiti village in Kirinyaga County.
Photo credit: George Munene | Nation Media Group
Neighbours said Wambui and her partner spent much of their time together and appeared to enjoy their relationship despite occasional disagreements that sometimes escalated into fights.
Their account, however, also pointed to tensions in the relationship with the man reportedly accusing Wambui of infidelity.
“They were together most of the time and enjoyed life, although sometimes they disagreed and fought, with the man accusing her of infidelity,” one resident said.
A suspected love triangle is among the circumstances surrounding the killing which police are investigating as murder.
The grief has also engulfed Wambui’s family with her father Wamugunda Gakono struggling to come to terms with the violent death of his daughter.
Mr Gakono said he was at his home in Gitooini village, Mwea Constituency, when he received the devastating news.
“When I heard what had happened, I went to the scene and found my daughter had been murdered in a very cruel manner,” he lamented.
The family is now seeking justice hoping that the investigation will establish what led to the killing and ensure that the person responsible is held accountable.
“We are crying for justice following the gruesome murder of our daughter,” Mr Gakono said.
Kirinyaga East Police Commander Johnson Wachira said the suspect went into hiding immediately after the incident but was later tracked down and arrested in Mwea.
He said the suspect was being held for questioning as investigators pursued the case which is being treated as murder.
Mr Wachira assured the family that justice would be pursued and urged them to remain patient as investigations continued.
