I was given Sh1,500 to kill priest, says suspect

A suspect in the murder of Catholic priest Michael Kyengo told a magistrate how he and others killed the cleric and buried his remains in a shallow grave on the banks of a river in Kirinyaga.

Kavivya Mwangangi, who was arrested on Thursday at his Mwea home in Kirinyaga County, described to Senior Principal Magistrate Hellen Onkwani how he tied the priest’s hands and legs before he was butchered.

“My friend came to me and asked me to assist him to make some offering,” Mr Mwangangi told the court, when he was asked whether he had anything to say about the request by investigators to detain him and another suspect, Solomon Mutava, for eight days. He said he was given Sh1,500 for the mission by his friend Michael Mutunga, who arrived at his home at night.

“Mutunga came in a car. I woke up, dressed up, then boarded the car. I did not know where we were going to make the offering,” he said.

He said they drove to a river and stopped. “Mutunga left me in the car and strolled to the river bank. He returned and opened the boot of the vehicle. Inside, I saw a man who was naked. He gave me a rope and asked me to tie the man’s hands. We led him down the river and I was asked to tie his legs too.”

He recalled Mutunga asking the man to give him the secret number of his M-Pesa and bank accounts.

“My friend transferred sums of money then directed me to tie his hands and legs as he lay on the ground face down. He took a panga,” he narrated.

At that juncture, Ms Onkwani interjected, “It appears you want to confess how you killed the man.”

“Yes I want to confess how we killed the man and buried him by the river bank,” said the suspect.

But Ms Onkwani directed the officer to present the suspect before a chief inspector of police to record the confession as required by law.

The case will be mentioned on November 6.