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Catholic nun turns State witness in colleague's murder case
Sr Caroline Kanjiru before Meru Court on October 14, 2025.
Catholic nun Caroline Kanjiru, who has been in police custody in connection with the murder of her colleague Anselimina Karimi, will now be converted to a state witness as detectives continue the search for clues into the murder.
Sister Karimi, 65, who was the administrator of Meru Children's Home, Nkabune, in the outskirts of Meru town, was found lying on her back, with blood oozing from the head, in her house on October 12, 2025.
Shortly after, the magistrate court in Meru allowed the DCI in Meru to detain Sister Kanjiru at Meru Police Station for 14 days to allow for further investigations. Police needed time to conduct phone data and DNA analysis.
However, on Tuesday when the matter came up for mention, Mr Patrick Wachira, the investigating officer from the DCI headquarters told the court that detectives had not found any details connecting Sister Kanjiru to the murder.
"I took over the investigations from the DCI Imenti North and conducted fresh investigations. We conducted homicide investigations, did analysis of call data records and interviewed witnesses. Out of this investigation, we have concluded that the respondent is not connected to the murder," the investigating officer told the court.
Consequently, Senior Principal Magistrate Susan Ndegwa allowed the application and set Sister Kanjiru free, which means that the killers are still at large.
Lawyer Kiautha Arithi, who appeared for the Catholic Diocese of Meru welcomed the decision and called for intensified investigations to arrest those involved in the murder.
Investigations had established that Sister Karimi died of injuries inflicted on the head after she was hit with a blunt object leading to bleeding in the brain.
She also suffered a broken neck and injuries on the hands and legs, indicating she was tied up and tortured before her murder.
According to police reports, the deceased is believed to have been lured out of her residence at Meru Children's Home, murdered and her body returned to the house.
The murder is believed to have taken place between 10 pm and 1 am as investigators have established Karimi's phone made some calls at around 12 am on Sunday, October 12, 2025, before her body was discovered in her house.
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