This archive report was first published on 16 July 2021.
On July 16, 2021, a senseless act of violence shook the community when Joannah Stuchburry, a 64-year-old conservationist, was shot dead in her driveway by gunmen who ambushed her as she drove back home.
According to Kiambu County Criminal Investigation Officer Samson Kiptum, the police are treating the incident as cold-blooded murder. Witnesses reported that Stuchburry had stopped to remove some logs placed on the path leading to her house, approximately 100 meters away.
"We rushed out after hearing gunshots only to find madam was already dead while the engine of her car was still running," said Ndambu Mutemi, one of her workers.
Irungu Houghton, the boss of Amnesty International Kenya, called for a thorough probe to nab Stuchburry's killers, citing her fears over her life due to her stance against land grabbers who had excised part of Kiambu Forest that borders her 8-acre piece of land.
"We still don't know the motive but it is murder and our officers will try to get the killers," said Kiptum.
