Detectives in Nakuru are seeking to unravel how a woman who had visited her brother died, and why her body was secretly kept for two weeks at a homestead in YMCA Estate.
On Wednesday, crime-scene investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) discovered the body of 60-year-old Rosemary Wahu at the house owned by Mr David Kinyanjui, her brother, and his newly married wife.
When the officers found the badly decomposed body, it had a neatly tucked Bible on the chest.
That picturesque home of the couple has now morphed into a crime scene— a house of shadows, shrouded in mystery and suspicion.
Police, with the help of residents, move the body of Rosemary Wahu from her brother’s house in Nakuru's YMCA Estate on March 6, 2024.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
According to Wahu's son Boniface Mungai, his mother visited the uncle on January 15 after informing her that he had married a new wife, months after separating with his second wife.
Wahu left her Gatundu home in Kiambu County and travelled to her brother’s residence in Nakuru and upon arrival, she informed her family, adding that she would not stay long.
Mr Mungai was in constant communication with his mother until January 29 when her phone suddenly went off.
When he tried to enquire from his uncle why his mother was unreachable, Mr Kinyanjui, Mr Mungai alleges, offered “inconsistent explanations”.
“At one point he said her phone had accidentally dropped into water and that is why she was unreachable,” Mr Mungai told the Nation.
After days of virtual hide-and-seek, Mr Mungai on March 3 insisted on speaking to his mother but encountered more excuses from Mr Kinyanjui, leaving him with more questions than answers.
Shocked residents observe as Rosemary Wahu's body is removed from the house at Nakuru's YMCA Estate on March 6, 2024.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
“He had requested his sister (mum) to come here in Nakuru to see the new woman in his life. We made arrangements and facilitated her travel from Gatundu to Nakuru. When she arrived here, she informed us but we became suspicious when her phone went off and it became hard to get her through our uncle’s phone,” Mr Mungai said.
On Tuesday, a neighbor eventually tipped off Mr Mungai about a foul smell emanating from Mr Kinyanjui's homestead.
The neighbour further told Mr Mungai that his mother had not been seen for more than two weeks, alarming the family.
Concerned about his mother’s absence, Mr Mungai and other relatives traveled to Nakuru.
“We arrived here at around 4am on Wednesday but we were not allowed in until around 6am,” said Mr Mungai, the first born of Wahu's three children.
Upon gaining access to the house, they made the shocking discovery of Wahu's decomposed body lying on a bed in one of the bedrooms with a Bible on her chest.
“It appeared that she might have died two weeks ago. There was a pungent smell and flies were all over the room,” said Mr Zack Wanjohi, a relative.
Ms Penninah Wambui, a neighbour, said the last time she saw the deceased was two weeks ago as she returned from a local shop.
“It is shocking that the family stayed with a decomposing body in the house for that long without reporting the matter. We were told that they were waiting for her to resurrect," she said.
Nakuru East sub-County police boss Mohammed Wako confirmed that the couple had kept the decomposed body in the house, and that an investigation has been initiated to determine the circumstances surrounding Wahu's death.
Mr Wako told the Nation that Wahus' son, Mr Mungai, had reported the matter at the Bondeni Police Station, prompting officers to rush to the scene.
A team from DCI was dispatched to the scene and recovered the body, which was moved to Nakuru City Mortuary awaiting postmortem.
“We have commenced investigations to establish why the couple had stayed with the decomposed body in the house,” he said.
“We will also conduct a postmortem to know the cause of death. Our preliminary investigation has established that the body might have stayed for two or three weeks.”
