Over the last couple of months, Kenya has been rocked with a series of brutal murders that have dominated news headlines across the country.
One of the most recent murders includes that of Simon Githae, 36, a farmhand from Gatuanyaga village in Thika, Kiambu County who was brutally killed and skinned.
According to Nation Africa, the murder exhibits signs of a cult killing, as the perpetrators made precision cuts, targeting specific body organs.
According to Githae's widow, Margret Nyambura, 27, her husband's death has more to it.
“These were not normal killers. They were harvesters of humans. They killed my husband in a very inhuman way,” she was quoted as saying.
“How do you kill someone and remove his skin? I have become a widow and I don’t know where to start. I’m jobless and he was the one supporting us," Nyambura said.
Githae previously worked as a casual labourer at flower farms in Thika before he was hired by one of their neighbours as a farmhand.
On the fateful day, Sunday, August 15, 2021, the father of two left home in the morning and returned at around noon. He would then leave to enjoy a drink with his friends but failed to return home.
“When he did not return home, I got worried as this was unusual for him, because most of the time he would arrive home early,” Nyambura recounted.
“Another problem was that he had lost his phone a few weeks ago and he had not bought another one, so the only option was to check at the nearby police station to see if he had been arrested for flouting the Covid-19 curfew that starts at 10pm," she added.
Nyambura later received a call from a friend while she was at the Muguga Police Post that a body had been located in the area.
She rushed to the scene only to find that it was her husband with some body parts missing.
Githae's uncle Raphael Njoroge, who spoke to Nation, revealed that the deceased was skinned from the shoulder down and some parts were missing.
“His body was skinned from the shoulders to the knees. His private parts were missing. He had a deep cut in his chest and when you peeped inside, you could see that some body parts had been removed,” Njoroge stated.
“The killers may be celebrating for accomplishing what they set out to do. But may they never have peace of mind. Look at where his wife has been left with two children," he lamented.
Githae's body was discovered dumped by the roadside near a piece of land owned by fruit processor, Del Monte Kenya.
A preliminary report by the police states that the deceased was suffocated and then nit at the back of the head with a blunt object. According to the officers, the incident may have occurred at the Del Monte farm or elsewhere then the body dumped off there.
Thika East Sub County Commander Kutima Namutali stated that the police are probing the incident but no arrest has been made.
A number of killings have been reported in the area, and similar to Githae, they victims were discovered with missing body parts. In 2020, a man was found dead at the Del Monte land and body parts missing.
In April 2020, a Standard Three pupil was found amputated and some body parts also missing.
According to a relative of Nyambura, locals believe the body parts are being harvested and sold for sacrifice.
