A man who is suspected of killing his employer in Murang'a on September 22, 2022, is now in police custody.
In a statement by the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) on Tuesday, June 11, the suspect, Fred Cheluba Murunga, worked as a farmhand for the deceased for one and a half months while staying at his home in Kerandi village in Kigumo, Murang'a County.
"The proverbial fortieth day of a murder suspect believed to have slain his 63-year-old employer in Murang'a on 22nd September 2022 has finally dawned after over 20 months of holing up, a period that subjected the affected family to untold grief crying for justice for their kin," DCI remarked.
The directorate noted that on the fateful day, the suspect had sent a 12-year-old grandchild of the late Mzee Paul Njuguna Kamau to a nearby shop before turning on his employer with a machete.
Apparently, the rest of the family members were away, and the young boy had gone to visit the elderly man to get him some breakfast.
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Upon returning, the deceased's grandchild found his grandfather locked up in the kitchen, writhing in pain.
"The minor raised alarm, drawing the attention of the villagers who thronged the homestead. Jointly with the local police who had also learnt of the incident, the responders broke into the kitchen only to stumble upon Mzee's body soaked in blood, stiff and lifeless. Beside him lay the suspected murder weapon, a machete," DCI remarked.
The enraged villagers then began a search for the suspect, who had escaped with the deceased motorcycle and mobile phone.
Taking up the matter, Kigumo DCI officers activated a manhunt for the killer farmhand, with preliminary investigations revealing that the deceased's motorbike and mobile phone were sold out in Eldoret.
After intelligence leads, the DCI Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) detectives arrested the suspect on Monday, June 10, in Ruiru.
"Acting on crucial intelligence leads, CRIB detectives yesterday cornered the murder suspect at the premises of a security firm based in Ruiru, where he was seeking employment," DCI stated.
