Missing Kirinyaga woman found dead on banks of Thiba River
Man stabs wife and daughter.
What you need to know:
- Her husband surrendered to Wang'uru Police Station when angry residents destroyed his house, threatening to lynch him. Residents rose in protest and confronted the suspect baying for his blood.
- They damaged his house, forcing him to flee and surrender to the police. He was later transferred to Kiamaciri Police Station and locked up for further interrogation.
On December 26, 2024, Purity Makena, a housewife, woke up as usual after celebrating Christmas festivities and went about her daily work at Mahigaini village in Kirinyaga County.
Then that evening, Makena disappeared mysteriously only to be discovered on December 27, brutally murdered and her body dumped on the banks of Thiba River.
Her husband surrendered to Wang'uru Police Station when angry residents destroyed his house, threatening to lynch him. Residents rose in protest and confronted the suspect baying for his blood.
They damaged his house, forcing him to flee and surrender to the police. He was later transferred to Kiamaciri Police Station and locked up for further interrogation.
Residents said they could not believe that Makena was dead until they saw her lifeless body.
“We wanted to teach the suspect a lesson but luckily he sought refuge at the police station," one of the residents said.
An administrator who wished not to be named citing sensitivity of the matter claimed that the suspect confessed to murdering his wife when he surrendered to the police.
“Before the murder, the suspect had been quarreling with his wife more often and several times I handled their cases,” he said.
Some residents who were fetching water from the river spotted the body of the deceased in the morning hours and fled in panic and reported the matter to the police.
Makena had deep stab wounds in the neck and other parts of the body, a clear indication that she was brutally eliminated.
According to the family, Makena, 20, was with her husband when she went missing.
"My granddaughter was staying with her husband at Mahigaini when she went missing after Christmas Day. Later, we were informed that she was found dead on a river bank," said Ms Madarina Wambura, the deceased's grandmother.
The family is now reeling in shock following the brutal murder of their daughter.
“We have reliably learned that our daughter was last seen with the prime suspect before she went missing. We suspect that she was eliminated over a love triangle," said Mr John Muriuki, the deceased's uncle.
The family said Makena hailed from Ngucui village but she had been living with the suspect in Mahigaini village.
"We demand justice over the murder of our daughter and the suspect should not go unpunished," said Mr Muriuki.
Mwea West Sub-County police boss Hussein Rashid said the matter was being treated as murder.
"We are holding the suspect and soon we shall arraign him to face murder charges," said Mr Rashid and assured the family that justice will be done and asked them to be patient.
“The family should give us sufficient time to carry out thorough investigations. I assure them that there will be no cover-up, the suspect must face the full force of the law," he said.
A businessman, an employer of the suspect has also been picked up and is assisting police with investigations.
