Police in Kirinyaga and Tharaka Nithi are probing the identity of a woman whose murdered body was found on the Makutano-Sagana highway, suspected to be that of missing Tharaka Nithi County blogger Peris Mugera.
A photo of the body is circulating on social media platforms.
A police report from Rukanga Police Post under Kiamaciri Police Station in Mwea West Sub-county, Kirinyaga County, said the body of the "unknown woman" was found by members of the public on the Makutano-Sagana Highway at around 8am on March 1.
Mugera, a resident of Chuka town in Chuka sub-county, reportedly left home on Thursday last week and was reported missing at Chuka police station on Monday this week.
According to the police report, officers led by Kiamiciri Officer Commanding Station (OCS), those from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) rushed to the scene and found the body with some bruises on the forehead.
The woman was wearing a black trouser and red canvas shoes, and after processing the scene, the body was taken to Kerugoya Hospital mortuary for post-mortem and identification.
Chuka Sub-county Police Commander Paul Kuria told the Nation on Friday morning that he had also seen the photo on social media and that investigations were ongoing.
The Nation also learnt that Mugera's close friends and relatives had rushed to check if the body was that of their loved one.
According to police investigations, Mugera's phone signal was last recorded at 2am on Friday in Kathoge, Kirinyaga County.
The missing mother of two children, aged 15 and six, reportedly left her rented house around midday to meet a friend before going to work elsewhere but did not return as usual.
On Saturday evening, the distressed children informed the landlord about their mother's disappearance and a search was launched by her friends.
The woman is well known in the county as a political enthusiast, having actively campaigned for the late Gitari Mbiuki, who unsuccessfully contested the governorship in Tharaka Nithi County.
Mr Mbiuki was found dead in his vehicle on Mati Road in Kanganga village in Embu County on July 18 last year in what police described as a suicide after he shot himself in the head with his licensed gun.
Mbiuki was a wealthy businessman and worked as a Clerk in the Machakos County Assembly before entering politics.
On Thursday, Tharaka Nithi County Police Commander Zacchaeus Ngeno told the media that Muera's phone had not been switched on since the last signal.
He said as part of the investigation they were trying to find out if she had registered another communication line that she could use.
"Her phone went off on the morning of March 1 and we are still looking for her, hoping for the best. We are trying to uncover some clues that would help us," Mr Ngeno said.
While urging family members and residents to remain calm, the police boss asked them to come forward with any information that could help in the ongoing investigations.
