The suspected killers of Maximum Miracle Centre’s Bishop Pius Muiru's mother Grace Wangari Mwangi attracted the attention of police when they used her phone and household items stolen from her.
This emerged on Friday at the High Court in Murang’a, where the trial of two people for the murder has entered its final bend, with 10 prosecution witnesses so far giving evidence, and only two remaining.
Giving evidence before Justice Kanyi Kimondo, Chief Inspector Stephen Mwangi, the lead investigator into the murder, pieced together the events leading to the arrest of Monica Muthoni, 40, and Ezekiel Saitambua Nakola, 37.
Wangari, 75, was murdered on March 22, 2017 at Karega village in Murang’a County.
The court heard that Ms Muthoni, who is Bishop Muiru’s sister-in-law, led detectives on her trail when she used the mobile phone number of the deceased to buy Sh95 credit via M-Pesa.
The airtime was in favour of a phone number belonging to Mr Nakola, who was employed by the family as a guard.
He, in turn, gave his lover furniture and other household effects stolen from Wangari.
Inspector Mwangi, who was then attached to Kigumo Police Station, said that while pursuing leads on the case that had initially been reported as that of missing person, he bumped into the two clues.
The missing person’s report of March 22, 2017, 8am, had been filed by Mr Mathew Waweru, Bishop Muiru’s younger brother, and Ms Muthoni’s husband.
In the report, he had said that his mother could not be found and calls to her phone were not going through.
However, the officer said, at 10am on the same day, Ms Muthoni bought the airtime that was sent to the phone number of her co-accused.
Investigations were to reveal that Wangari had not left the compound since her phone signal remained active inside her house and later, in Ms Muthoni’s house.
Together with three other officers, Mr Mwangi went to the family home and demanded the surrender of Ms Muthoni and Mr Nakola for arrest.
It was during interrogation that Mr Nakola confessed to having killed Bishop Muiru’s mother and burying her in a shallow grave behind a cowshed, the officer testified.
Detectives were suspicious of Ms Muthoni because “she had initially submitted to us that she had seen the deceased leave her house carrying a small bag”.
Investigations also revealed that Mr Nakola had given Ms Elizabeth Nyambura a TV set, two mattresses and a stereo player, items that were later confirmed to have belonged to Wangari, the court heard.
Ms Nyambura, in her evidence as a prosecution witness, told the court that she had known Mr Nakola for three months prior to the murder, and had struck a friendship that resulted in her leaving her husband.
She told the court that Mr Nakola had given her the items in readiness for a new life out of her matrimonial home.
Bishop Muiru’s wife, Ms Lucy Muiru, also testified that Ms Muthoni was not on good terms with their mother-in-law, and there had been several family meetings to try and reconcile them.
The hearing continues on February 22, when government pathologist Johansen Oduor will take the witness stand to tell the court how Wangari died. Ms Leah Wanjiru is also slated as a prosecution witness.
