This archive report was first published on 28 September 2019.
On September 28, 2019, a tragic scene unfolded in Mt Kenya Forest, where a mother's worst fears were confirmed. Felista Waithera, overcome with grief, knelt before her ex-boyfriend, Charles Muriuki, and asked the haunting question: 'How did I wrong you for you to kill my son?'
The question was met with silence, as Muriuki sat quietly on the damp forest floor, unable to face the woman he was accused of brutally killing. The victim, 11-year-old Gideon Kang'ethe, a Standard Six pupil at Kirigu Primary School in Karatina, Nyeri County, had been reported missing just days earlier.
Police believe that Muriuki, who had been in a relationship with Waithera, killed the boy as revenge for being dumped. Mathira East Sub-County Police Commander James Barasa stated, 'This is murder. The mother of the boy was a girlfriend of the suspect. She had decided to leave him and we suspect he killed the boy as revenge.'
A video of the dramatic scene, where Muriuki leads detectives to the body, has been shared widely. The case has sent shockwaves through the community, leaving many to wonder how such a heinous crime could have been committed.
