On the morning of February 16, Joyce Wanjiru was going about her routine at her Karunga home in Bahati, Nakuru County, located just a few metres from her father-in-law’s house, when her phone rang.
The caller was one of the construction workers she had hired for a building project within her father-in-law’s compound.
He told her they could not access building materials because the store where they were kept was locked.
For Ms Wanjiru, this was unusual.
Her father-in-law Peter Mwangi, 73, was known to be an early riser despite his age, often waking up before 6am.
“I got concerned because he always woke up very early long before the rest of us were up. I sensed something was wrong so I rushed to his compound to check whether he was still asleep,” Ms Wanjiru recalled.
When she arrived, she found his house locked, something that immediately unsettled her.
“I found the door locked and that alone made me uneasy. I tried the door and managed to open it. Inside, I saw my father-in-law lying on the floor in a pool of blood. He was unresponsive and his body had severe injuries,” she told the Nation .
The scene, she said, told a disturbing story.
“There were visible signs of struggle. Household items were scattered across the floor. Blood stains were splashed everywhere and smeared on the bed. It appeared his attackers struck him while he was lying in bed.
“I literally froze. I tried calling his name ‘Baba, Baba’ but he couldn’t respond. I knew immediately that he had been attacked,” she said.
Joyce Wanjiru, the daughter-in-law of Peter Mwangi, who discovered Mwangi unresponsive in the bedroom of his house in Karunga in Bahati sub-county, Nakuru County, on February 16, 2026.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
Some tried to administer first aid while others made calls and arranged transport to rush him to hospital acccording to the woman.
Mr Mwangi was taken to Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital but despite medical intervention, he succumbed to his injuries.
“When we rushed him to hospital, we were hopeful the doctors would save his life. I kept praying on the way, believing he would survive. The news that he had died was shocking,” Ms Wanjiru said.
What began as an assault case reported at Karunga Police Post quickly turned into a murder investigation, with detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) moving in to piece together what happened.
A detective privy to the probe told the Nation on Thursday that officers arrived at the compound to evidence suggesting a deliberate and well-planned attack.
“When we visited the scene, we found bloodstains on the floor and bed, with patterns indicating the assault occurred at close range. There were also signs Mr Mwangi had attempted to defend himself, reinforcing suspicions of a struggle,” the detective said.
Investigators later made another grim discovery of two blood-stained wooden rods believed to have been used in the assault.
The weapons were collected as exhibits alongside blood samples and photographic documentation of the scene.
Preliminary findings according to homicide detectives pointed to an assault carried out by more than one individual.
As they (detectives) reconstructed events leading up to the killing, suspicion quickly turned inward towards members of Mr Mwangi’s own household.
The late Peter Mwangi, who was found by his daughter-in-law lying on the floor in a pool of blood on February 16 in his Nakuru home. He later succumbed to his injuries and his wife and daughter are considered prime suspects.
Photo credit: Nation Media Group
Within hours, police arrested four suspects: his wife Tabitha Mwangi, his daughter Rahab Muthoni and two sons, Samwel Mwangi and Joseph Michiri.
The four were placed in custody as detectives intensified investigations into the circumstances surrounding the killing.
Who attacked Mwangi and why? Was the assault planned or spontaneous? What motive lay behind the brutal attack?
A neighbour, Peter Mwangi, said he heard no commotion that night.
“I did not hear any noise from his house. Maybe the attack happened deep in the night when I was asleep,” he told the Nation .
According to Nakuru North police boss Lilies Wachira, the suspects were presented before a Nakuru court where detectives obtained orders to detain them for 21 days as investigations continue.
“The suspects are currently in custody. The court granted investigators 21 days to complete investigations and record statements before they are presented in court for plea-taking,” she said in a phone interview.
A postmortem conducted on Mr Mwangi’s body revealed he died from severe head injuries caused by a blunt object.
As detectives dig deeper, chilling details have begun to emerge.
Tabitha Wanjiku, granddaughter of Peter Mwangi, leads her cousins in demanding justice during an interview at their home in Karunga, Bahati sub-county, Nakuru County, on February 19, 2026.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
Investigators consider Mwangi’s wife and daughter prime suspects with information suggesting they may have hired someone to execute the assault.
Officers are also reconstructing the timeline: when Mwangi was last seen alive, who he was with before going to bed and whether there had been prior domestic disputes or threats.
Neighbours described Mr Mwangi as a reserved but firm man who had built his homestead over decades through farming and small-scale enterprise.
At 73, he was regarded as one of the elders of the area a man whose presence commanded quiet respect.
“He was not a violent man. We cannot understand how it reached this point. Family disputes are not uncommon, but we are still reeling at how tension could escalate into lethal violence against the patriarch,” said neighbour Beatrice Wanjiku.
