Grace Nelima 23 who was found murdered and dumped in a septic tank in Ngurubani town, Kirinyaga county.
On February 2, 2025, Grace Nelima left her Statunga village home in Kitale for Kirinyaga County in search of greener pastures.
The 23-year-old single parent was determined to get a job and fend for her two children.
Mr Stephen Thumbi, her uncle, recalled that he facilitated Nelima's travel to Kirinyaga to look for a job.
“At first I refused to allow my niece to leave home to a strange place but she insisted that she had to go. I gave in and sent her bus fare and some Sh5,000 for house rent and food. She set out and arrived safely," he said.
Wang'uru police station in Kirinyaga County, where a prime suspect is being held following the gruesome murder of a young woman.
Today, Mr Thumbi is full of regrets, wishing he had listened to his inner ear.
On arrival in Kirinyaga, Nelima landed in Ngurubani town where she started hawking melons and porridge for survival and a few days later, she was employed as a bar waitress in the bustling town.
A hard-working young woman, according to her family, Nelima was doing well and would send money to her relatives in whose care she had left her children.
This was before death came calling in such a cruel manner that has left her family in shock.
On March 10, Nelima was fatally attacked after a drinking spree and dumped in a septic tank.
The prime suspect is a tycoon's son who is being held at Wang'uru Police Station for questioning.
Two other suspects believed to have taken part in the murder of the woman have also been picked up by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to assist with the investigations.
Prior to the murder, Nelima had been seen in a bar enjoying drinks and dancing with friends before she walked out.
That was the last time she was seen alive, only for her decomposing body to be spotted on March 15 in a septic tank.
A worker who was cleaning a toilet saw the body and fled in panic and reported the matter to the authorities.
It was then that detectives visited the scene and pulled out the body and took it to Kerugoya Referral Hospital Mortuary for postmortem examination.
It is suspected that the woman was strangled to death and thrown into the septic tank.
Murder charge
Mwea East sub-County police boss Mohammed Jarso said the suspect, a university dropout, will face a murder charge after detectives are through with investigations.
The police boss said detectives want to establish the motive behind the heinous act, since the two had not known each other for long and that they were together only for the night.
Already, the tycoon has recorded a statement and is assisting police with investigations.
Immediately the body of the woman was retrieved, he was summoned by the detectives to Wang'uru Police Station, interrogated for hours and released.
Three workers of the tycoon and his wife have also recorded statements.
It is believed that the suspect met Nelima in the local bar and started taking alcohol together, after which the suspect took her to his house.
Detectives believe that the suspect fatally attacked Nelima in his house, dragged her body out and threw it into the tank and fled.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect could have fought with the woman before he allegedly snuffed out her life.
"The suspect's lip had been bitten, a clear evidence that he might have fought with the deceased before the worst happened," one of the investigators said.
Also, a treatment prescription note was found inside the house of the suspect indicating that he sought treatment at a local health facility, the detective said.
Mr Jarso said the matter was being treated as murder, adding that thorough investigations will be carried out to establish the motive behind the heinous act.
The family of the deceased said they learnt of the demise of their daughter with great shock.
"We were at home when we learnt our daughter had been found dead and travelled to Kirinyaga to ascertain the truth," said Mr Thumbi.
He recalled that he was one of the family members who participated in bringing up the deceased who was orphaned as a child.
"Grace’s father died a long time ago while her mother left for an unknown place and she was left without anyone to take care of her. As a family, we sacrificed to cater for Nelima but she dropped out of school when she was in class seven," said Mr Thumbi.
Grace’s cousin, Mr John Kimtai, disclosed that he was the one who identified her body in the mortuary.
"I also work in Ngurubani and when I was called by detectives I was able to recognise the body as that one of our slain daughter," said Mr Kimtai.
Mr Kimtai recounted that he is the one who helped the deceased to look for a rental house when she landed in Ngurubani the first day and that he couldn’t believe that she was dead until he saw her lifeless body in the morgue.
“We want to know who killed our daughter and why. Those implicated in the murder should be punished in accordance with the law," he said.
The family said after a postmortem examination, the body will be transported to Statunga in Transzoia for burial.
"We have been thrown into mourning following what happened to our daughter and we want to give her a decent send-off after the postmortem is done," said Mr Kimtai.
