A few minutes past midnight on July 15, 2026, Nelson Irungu received a phone call that would become his last.
The call came from his girlfriend, a bar attendant at a pub in Kongo-ini, Murang'a County. At the time, Irungu was relaxing with friends at a bar in nearby Mukuyu town about five kilometres away, chewing muguka and chatting the night away.
Moments later, he left to meet his girlfriend. Two days later, he was dead.
What happened between that phone call and his death at Murang'a Level Five Hospital has become the subject of a Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) probe, with conflicting accounts emerging over the events that culminated in the fatal assault.
John Ngugi, one of those at the bar, said Irungu initially joked with the caller before stepping outside to continue the conversation in private.
“He laughed and asked her (the caller) whether ovulation had caught up with her at that hour and why she couldn't wait until morning. We all laughed. Then he stepped outside to continue the conversation. That was the last time I saw him alive,” Ngugi told the Daily Nation.
Another friend, Geoffrey Kung'u, said he later rode Irungu to Kongo-ini on his motorcycle.
“I didn't even charge him because he was my friend. We arrived at a bar in the Kwa Mzee area where we found his girlfriend. I took two drinks, smoked three cigarettes, paid my bill and left, leaving them together with three other men,” he said.
It was only later that morning that Kung’u learnt that Irungu had been admitted in hospital with critical injuries.
“When I saw him in the High Dependency Unit, I knew he wasn't going to survive. I just want to know what happened to my friend,” Kung’u said.
According to a police incident report from the Murang'a East security team, Irungu was allegedly attacked by members of the public after he was found trying to gain access to the bar through its roof.
Nelson Irungu died at Murang'a Level Five Hospital after he was assaulted by unknown people in Kongo-ini, Murang'a County on July 15, 2026.
Photo credit: Pool
The report states that residents spotted a man removing iron sheets from the roof, confronted him and subjected him to mob justice before police arrived shortly before 4am and rushed him to hospital.
A subsequent police report dated July 20, 2026 states that investigators suspect Irungu had been called to the premises as part of an alleged plan to steal cash from the bar.
According to the report, the bar attendant had allegedly informed him that about Sh200,000 in unbanked sales proceeds was inside the premises.
Investigators believe the plan was to remove roofing sheets to create the impression that thieves had broken into the establishment.
The report says Irungu was spotted while on the roof, triggering an alarm that attracted a mob which assaulted him.
It further states that the woman was also attacked by members of the public and admitted to the same hospital.
However, another witness who was inside the bar that night disputes the police account.
The customer, who requested anonymity because investigations are ongoing, claimed Irungu got into a confrontation with three men, one of whom he alleged was a police officer attached to Murang'a University.
“This was not mob justice. He was lured there after his girlfriend suspected he was being unfaithful. I was there when she called him and I saw him arrive with the boda boda rider. Shortly afterwards, an argument broke out and the three men assaulted him. I fled when the attack intensified,” the witness claimed.
The witness further claimed that people who later learnt of the assault turned on the woman, believing she had lured Irungu into an ambush.
Murang'a County Chief Officer for Health Eliud Maina said Irungu arrived at hospital with extensive injuries to the head, chest, abdomen and pelvic region. He died on July 17, 2026.
A post-mortem examination established that he died from severe head trauma coupled with massive internal bleeding.
“The injuries were consistent with a brutal assault,” Mr Maina said.
He added that the woman remains admitted in stable condition and could be discharged in the coming days.
Irungu's family says investigators appear to have focused on the alleged attempted theft while paying insufficient attention to the fatal assault.
The victim’s uncle, Stephen Kibugu, questioned whether police were treating the case as murder.
“They seem to have concluded he was a thief. But even if that allegation was true, the people who beat him to death must also be investigated,” he said.
“If investigators believe there was a conspiracy to steal, that is one matter. Separately, there is the fatal assault on Mr Irungu, which may amount to murder, and the assault on the woman. Each allegation requires an independent investigation,” she said.
She argued that the fact one suspect is dead does not hinder the duty to investigate those responsible for the assault.
“Whether Irungu intended to steal or not, nobody had the right to kill him. Those who assaulted him must be identified and prosecuted if evidence supports it. Equally, those who attacked the woman should also face justice,” she said.
“We are looking into all aspects of this incident,” he said.
