What began as a routine missing person report by Zachary Wambugu has since escalated into a full-scale murder investigation, with the 23-year-old M-Pesa agent’s husband now the primary suspect in her death.
Ms Waithera was reported missing from her workplace in Nakuru town on May 21, and her decomposing body was found dumped at Technology Farm in Nakuru West Sub-County seven days later.
A portrait of Hannah Waithera, an M-Pesa attendant who went missing on Wednesday last week.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation
During Mr Wambugu’s arraignment on Tuesday, Nakuru-based Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) investigating officer Corporal Richard Kipsang told the court that Mr Wambugu went to report the disappearance at around 3 pm, just two hours after a case of theft by a servant had been reported.
Zachary Wambugu, prime suspect and husband of murdered M Pesa agent Hannah Waithera, arraigned
“When the suspect went to report the disappearance of Ms Waithera, the officers at the station declined to book the report in the Occurrence Book, advising him to wait until the following day,” said Mr Kipsang.
The investigator further revealed that Ms Waithera’s mobile phone was tracked to a location that matched that of Mr Wambugu’s cellphone on the day she disappeared.
Zacharia Wanjohi appeared in a Nakuru court on June 3, 2025, where he was arraigned as the main suspect in the murder of his wife, Hannah Waithera, an M-Pesa attendant who was found dead after going missing for almost a week.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation
However, Mr Wambugu allegedly attempted to mislead investigators, claiming that his friends had tracked his wife’s phone and found it heading towards Kijabe in the Nairobi direction.
Police, acting on growing suspicions, launched an investigation which eventually led them to her body at Technology Farm in Ngata, Nakuru West, on May 26.
Mr Kipsang disclosed these details while submitting a police application to detain Mr Wambugu for 21 days to complete their investigation.
Appearing before Principal Magistrate Vincent Adet, the detective said the police needed more time to record witness statements, conduct forensic DNA analysis, retrieve CCTV footage from neighbours and perform forensic examinations of mobile phones.
Mr Wambugu, through his lawyer, opposed the application, arguing that it violated his constitutional right to bail.
He maintained that he had cooperated fully with the police from the moment his wife went missing and said it was unjust to accuse him of involvement in her death.
