Were it not for the CCTV cameras installed in homes neighbouring a church in Nakuru, a mother would never have known what killed her three-year-old daughter during a church service.
On Sunday, June 22, Ms Regina Wanjiru went to church as usual with her two children, Margaret Wanjiru, 3, and Isaac Mwangi, 7. She left them in the Sunday school class and went to the main service.
But after the end of the service at 1pm, Wanjiru came out to find only one child—Isaac—who was also looking for her, thinking she was with his sister.
While in a moment of confusion, they heard someone raise an alarm over a child lying unconscious outside the church compound. On rushing to the scene, Wanjiru learnt it was her daughter, who appeared unresponsive.
First aid efforts proved fruitless, as attempts by a nurse who was a member of the church failed, forcing the mother, accompanied by other church leaders, to rush the child to the nearest hospital. To their dismay, the child was declared dead upon arrival at Kenlands Hospital.
The matter was reported at Kiugoini Police Station, where police launched investigations.
Upon reaching the scene, police discovered that there were two homes with CCTV cameras installed outside the church compound. The police retrieved the footage for analysis.
Around noon, a teenager dressed in a red trench coat and grey trousers was seen leaving the church gate. Behind her was a young girl following her, wearing a scarf around her neck.
About 50 metres from the entrance, and after ensuring nobody was watching, the teenager strangled the toddler using the scarf she was wearing and left her lying unresponsive on the road before returning to the church.
One of the church members, who identified the teenager as Liz Njeri Mwangi — an 18-year-old daughter of a church member—said she had seen her leave the church accompanied by the victim and also saw her return alone.
According to eyewitness accounts, the three-year-old had been moving between the Sunday school class, the main church where her mother was, and the playground.
Around the time of the incident, Ms Njeri was seen walking towards where Wanjiru was taking porridge with other children in her class. Njeri then instructed Wanjiru to follow her. A few minutes later, Njeri returned to the church premises alone. What followed was the discovery of the minor’s body.
The witnesses led the police to the suspect’s home. Upon searching it, they recovered the clothes Njeri had worn in church on the day of the incident. She was arrested, and while being held at Kiugoini Police Station, Njeri admitted to killing the minor.
A post-mortem examination conducted on the child’s body revealed that she had been strangled to death.
When she appeared before court, the suspected pleaded guilty to the charge of murdering Margaret Wanjiru at Shalom PCEA Church in Bahati Sub-county. She confirmed the guilty plea on Tuesday, upon which the court convicted her on her own admission.
“The accused herein agrees to the facts of the offense as read by the prosecutor, and therefore the court convicts her on a plea of her own guilt,” ruled Justice Julius Nangea.
The court directed that Njeri, now a convict, be produced before court on September 16 for mitigation and sentencing.
