For two months, three men posed as customers buying miraa from Ms Consolata Kajuju. They would arrive at her home in Naari, Buuri Sub-county, Meru County, on a motorcycle, make the 73-year-old pick some branches, pay and leave.
But it seems the men were merely gaining her trust and gathering information about her and her family, including who she was with during the day -- the woman was mostly alone in the house as her four grandchildren, who live in the same compound, were busy with their daily activities.
One grandchild, Evans Ndereba, 20, who interacted with the alleged killers at least twice, said they would pay for their miraa and leave, and even promise to offer the grandchildren jobs on some of their construction sites.
On October 25, Kajuju was brutally murdered around 1pm. She was stabbed 12 times in the neck and chest, according to a post-mortem conducted on Wednesday, her daughter Everline Karwirwa said in an interview as the family prepared for the funeral.
“I work in Nanyuki town (about 70 kilometres away) and when I was informed that my mum had been injured, I immediately took a taxi. What I saw when I arrived was so shocking that I fainted. She was sprawled on the ground, having bled to death. My mother died a painful death,” she said.
The three young men, who are said to be between 20 and 25 years old, are the main suspects, detectives said, adding that a cap, a screwdriver and a panga were recovered from the scene.
“The murder is being investigated with initial information indicating that it could be related to a land tussle and we call upon the family to be patient,” said Buuri East police boss Joseph Oduor.
Mr Ndereba said the killers knew that his grandmother was all alone when they struck, adding that they would not have tried to stage an attack in their presence.
“Every time they bought miraa and bid us goodbye promising jobs I wondered why they thought we yearned to be employed. I had a feeling they were up to no good but I never thought they were planning such a heinous act,” he said.
“If the young men killed my grandmother, the question is, who sent them? Why did they kill her? Even if there were disputes, murder was not the solution,” he said.
Interviews with family members revealed that Ms Kajuju had been involved in a legal battle with some people over the land she inherited from her husband, who died eight years ago.
The problems began in 2015 after Ms Kajuju's husband, Mr Gerald M'Irandu, died after a long battle with diabetes and high blood pressure, leaving the land in her care.
Three years later, in early 2018, Ms Karwirwa says her younger brother, Flavia Gikunda, was killed in unclear circumstances.
“He was stabbed several times as he walked home in the evening and bled profusely. By the time we took him to the hospital he was dead,” she said, adding that her brother was 36 years old at the time of his death.
“The following day, some villagers created a narrative that my sister had contributed to Gikunda’s death. She was rounded up, beaten and lynched,” said Karwirwa.
A few months after Gikundi's death, a stranger turned up claiming to have bought the land. A member of the family, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they went to court in Meru and the person was summoned to prove he had bought the land.
“He did not attend court four times and the judge set the ruling for Monday (November 6, 2023) when we expected that the ruling would be in our favour. But our mother was killed before the case could be concluded,” he said.
The family now wants the police to speed up the investigation and arrest the killers, saying they are living in fear of attacks.
“We don’t know who is next and we are living in fear since the suspects know all of us and can harm one of us. The police should patrol this area at all times so that in case of anything, we raise the alarm,” said another family member.
Residents of Naari say such incidents have been on the rise recently due to the high value of land as rich individuals scramble to buy a piece.
Because of the demand, a 50x100 plot that sold for about Sh500,000 five years ago now sells for Sh2.1 million.
