Man suspected of killing 7-year-old boy to avenge break-up with aunt

Police in Tharaka Nithi County are searching for a man accused of abducting and killing a seven-year-old boy from Magutuni in Maara sub-county last week.

The boy's body was recovered on Monday night from River Tungu in Muthambi sub-county near Chuka University, more than 30 kilometres from Magutuni.

County police commander Zacchaeus Ng’eno said Francis Macheria was reportedly abducted at the gate of Kiurani Primary School on Wednesday evening by the suspected killer, a distant relative.

Mr Ng’eno said upon receiving the report of the abduction, police immediately launched investigations which confirmed that the suspect was holding the boy.

"We have confirmed that the body we recovered from the Tungu River belongs to the boy from Magutuni area who was abducted on Wednesday last week when he was coming from school," Mr Ng’eno said.

He said police had been searching for the man since Wednesday to rescue the boy.

The police boss said the suspect was still at large and urged the public who might know his whereabouts to inform the police or an administrator.

Ms Diana Gakii and Mr Martin Maina, the parents of the boy, said they started looking for their son that Wednesday after he failed to return home by 6pm.

Some residents told them that their son was seen walking with the suspect towards Keeria market on Wednesday evening.

The suspect was also reportedly seen with the boy in the Ndagani area the following day, and a report was made in churches on Sunday asking residents to alert the police if they saw him.

The suspect was married to Ms Annet Mukiri, a sister of Gakii, but they separated in January and since then, he has reportedly been storming her home armed with a panga, threatening to kill her and her relatives.

Ms Mukiri told the media that on Monday last week, the suspect stormed their house and injured her sister with a panga and they reported the incident to Magutuni Police Station.

Estranged husband

She said before they separated, her estranged husband threatened to kill her and even tried to harm her child, who was rescued by neighbours.

"I ran away from him after he threatened to kill me … in January this year," Ms Mukiri said.

Mr John Mucunku, Ms Mukiri's father, said the suspect impregnated his daughter in 2019 when she was age of 15 when she was in Grade 8 and after she threatened to report him to the administration, his relatives intervened and he allowed them to get married.

Since then, the two have had quarrels, until January this year, when he asked his daughter to leave the marriage for her own safety.

Mr Mucunku said the suspected killer had accused the boy's mother of encouraging her sister to leave him.

"He must have killed the boy for revenge. He threatened to kill all of us," said Mr Mucunku.