Police in Kirinyaga are looking for an ex-convict who hacked his mother to death in a suspected land dispute.
The assailant who was among 3,908 petty offenders who were pardoned by President Uhuru Kenyatta during Madaraka Day celebrations killed his mother Grace Muthoni Ndambiri in the bathroom at Njoga village on Sunday and went into hiding.
Neighbours responding to the distress calls found the elderly woman lying in a pool of blood and reported the matter to the police.
Mwea East Sub-county police boss Daniel Kitavi said his officers responded fast on receiving information on the gruesome murder and found the lifeless body of the victim inside the main house and removed it to Kibugi Funeral Home.
"The woman was fatally attacked as she had deep cuts in the head," said Mr Kitavi.
Prior to the murder, the suspect had been embroiled in a land row with his mother.
"The man who was released from jail after being pardoned by the President had been demanding a share of the family land from his mother and the duo used to quarrel.We suspect the man eliminated the old woman after she refused to meet his demand," said Mr Kitavi.
However, Mr Kitavi said investigations have been commenced to establish the actual reasons why the suspect committed such a serious crime.
He said officers together with the residents were tracking down the suspect escaped immediately he took away the life of his mother.
Mr Kitavi said the woman was staying with his son after her husband who was a teacher passed away after he fell sick.
"All the other children are employed and the woman was living in the same homestead with her ex-convict son who was known to be having bad behaviour," said Mr Kitavi.
The police boss said the matter was being treated as murder and the suspect will be charged with a capital offence if seized.
Following the incident, residents are still reeling in shock.
"We are still shocked over what happened in our village," one of the residents, Joyce Wambui said.
They described the deceased as a social, generous and God fearing woman who didn't deserve to die painfully.
"She used to feed us when we were hungry and her death is a great loss to us," said Mr Joseph Kinyua.
