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Murder most foul: How Kirinyaga college student was killed

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Jackline Ruguru, 22, who was found murdered at the Ngotho area in Kirinyaga County.

Photo credit: Pool

A postmortem examination on the body of a Kirinyaga college student has given a shocking revelation on the cause of her death.

Jackline Ruguru, whose mutilated body was found dumped in a coffee farm at Ngotho area in Kirinyaga County, died of strangulation, according to pathologist Dr Peter William.

Her right hand and breast were chopped off and are yet to be traced.

The collar bone, which was removed from the victim, is also missing, a clear indication that the student was murdered viciously.

Dr William observed that the head was also ‘skeletonised’ and samples have been taken for analysis to establish whether the decomposition was normal or accelerated using chemicals.

The family said they are still reeling in shock following what happened to their daughter.

Jackline Ruguru, 22, who was found murdered at the Ngotho area in Kirinyaga County.

Photo credit: Pool

"We are also very bitter and we want to know the truth of the matter," said Mr Simon Njeru, an uncle of the deceased.

On November 16, 2025, Jackline left Ngiriambu village home to Kianyaga town to buy body lotion.

However, that was the last time to be seen alive.

One week later, the decomposing body of the 22-year-old student was found dumped in a coffee farm in Gichugu Constituency.

Some body parts were missing, raising suspicion that the killers could be members of a cult.

It could not be immediately established why the student was hacked to death.

According to the parents, their daughter, who was at Embu College, arrived home from college on a Sunday but the same day she decided to go to Kianyaga to buy a lotion, promising to return home in the evening.

When she failed to show up, the parents looked for her everywhere unsuccessfully.

After seven days, some villagers stumbled on the naked body of the student and reported the matter to Kianyaga police station.

Kirinyaga East Sub-County police boss Mr Johnson Wachira said detectives want to establish the motive behind the gruesome murder.

"We can't tell why the student was murdered, but investigations will reveal the truth of the matter," said Mr Wachira.

The family is now crying for justice, saying their daughter was an innocent person who was eliminated in a cruel manner.

"We want to know who murdered our daughter and why," said Mr Moses  Kiura, the father who described his daughter, the last born in a family of three as a very bright child whose dream of becoming a secretary was cut short by the killers.