The main suspect in the murder of Seth Nyakio, the daughter of Kirinyaga County Assembly's nominated MCA Lucy Njeri, has been arrested, ending a year-long manhunt.
The MCA told the Nation that she received a call from the homicide department of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Saturday to notify her that Ken Kimanthi, alias Sultan, now 27 years old, had been arrested.
"My heart celebrated," she said.
For more than a year, the grieving mother says her daughter, Seth Nyakio’s murder in Thika town turned her life upside down.
At the time of her death, Nyakio was a Mass Communication graduate from a private university in Thika town.
Ms Njeri recounted to the Nation how her daughter left home in Kamakis Estate, Kiambu County, on the fateful day, saying she was visiting a friend in Thika town.
"My daughter was in high spirits and promised to be back home by the following evening. Had I known this would be the last time I would see her alive, I would have stopped her from going. But there was no warning that she was heading toward such a tragic fate," she said.
Police recorded a statement from the friend Phoebe Mwende, who reported leaving Nyakio asleep on the morning of October 14 before heading to Thika town for personal errands. When she returned around 4 pm she found Nyakio’s lifeless body.
An autopsy by Dr John Mathaiya and Dr Charles Muturi revealed that Nyakio had died from manual strangulation, with her nose and mouth covered.
Police issued an alert for Kimanthi, a student at a Thika-based technical college, but attempts to arrest him failed three times.
Nyakio was buried on October 29, 2024, in a ceremony attended by Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, who urged authorities to speed up the investigation.
The governor described Nyakio as a “happy and loving girl” who did not deserve such a death, adding, “How did it happen in such a crowded area? The house had over 30 neighbours—why did no one hear?”
A year later, DCI head of the homicide department Martin Nyuguto told Nation that with the help of the Crime Research Bureau and public cooperation, the prime suspect had been arrested, and "the wheels of justice now start to roll."
According to the police report, the suspect hid across Kiambu, Nairobi, Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Nakuru and Busia counties. He was eventually apprehended in Busia town, near the Kenya–Uganda border, where he worked at a cereal distribution shop.
Ms Njeri says the arrest and the suspect’s arraignment at Kahawa Law Courts on December 15, 2025, marked the beginning of reconciling her grief with the realities of life.
"I know I cannot grieve forever. I have to live with the loss and find closure," she told the Nation . Her plan is fourfold: "Monitor the due process regarding the arrested suspect, pursue motherhood through available options, heal and find closure."
“I lost a child I loved deeply. There will never be another like Nyakio. But I remain hopeful that one day, she will have a sister or brother, as we had wished," she said.
Reflecting on her faith, Ms Njeri said, "I can imagine the thrill Nyakio would feel seeing me cuddle her sibling in heaven. The Almighty, who is my true North, will calm the storm in my life. I will prevail because my God lives."
