This archive report was first published on 5 January 2022.
January 2021 started on a somber note in Kiambu, with the murder of US-based nurse Nicholas Njoroge Warunge, 55, and his wife Annie Wanjiku, a local nurse, in their home in Kagongo Karura village. Their son Christian Njenga, 13, Njoroge’s nephew Maxwell Ngenge, 13, and a worker, 40-year-old James Kinyanjui, were also killed in the brutal attack.
According to investigations, Njoroge had arrived in Kenya on December 4, 2020, to spend the Christmas holiday with his family. He was stabbed 34 times, and his throat slit. His son, Lawrence Warunge, was later arrested alongside his girlfriend over the killings and charged with the five murders.
Warunge had a clear motive to eliminate his parents, detectives claimed, as he was estranged from the family and had a history of drug abuse. In another shocking incident, 23-year-old Velvine Nungari Kinyanjui died while undergoing treatment after being found in a room at Sinnot Hotel, where she had been with Joseph Murimi, reportedly on a first date. An autopsy report revealed she suffered three fractures on the spinal cord with bruises and fluid deposits consistent with sexual assault.
On April 16, Evans Karani was arrested after he was accused of killing a 25-year-old waitress, Catherine Nyokabi, in Witeithie, Juja. Karani claimed he had dated Nyokabi for nearly four years but their relationship had been rocked with allegations of infidelity. He accused Nyokabi of having an affair with another man.
On April 18, a Grade Three boy who had gone missing a week earlier was found dead with body parts missing in Tosha village, Gatuanyaga, Thika. Paul Mwanzia’s body was found decomposing in a thicket inside a neighbour’s farm. His father told the police he had sent the boy to charge a cellphone at his grandfather’s house.
Then came the execution-style murder of Daniel Gucoma, a car dealer, on June 23. Gucoma died in a hail of bullets in broad daylight while driving on Kenyatta Road, off Thika Superhighway. The suspects had been stalking the motorist on a motorcycle.
On August 4, Jonathan Mukundi Gachunga and his wife Philomena Njeri, were found dead in an apparent murder and suicide. Gachunga is said to have shot his wife three times before turning the gun on himself.
