This archive report was first published on 17 November 2019.
On November 16, 2019, Major Peter Mwaura led police to three bodies dumped in a shallow grave at a cemetery in Nanyuki, after his estranged wife, Joyce Syombua, and their two children, Shanice Maua and Prince Michael, were reported missing on October 27.
According to sources within the police department, preliminary findings have placed the possible murder scene inside the Laikipia Airbase, leading investigators to suspect Major Mwaura had help from inside.
‘It looks like he did it from inside the barracks definitely. Maybe he was helped by someone from within,’ an officer who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case told the Nation.
Police have placed in custody and questioned two more people believed to have been involved in the murder and cover-up, including a taxi operator who claimed Major Mwaura sent him to purchase three gunny bags around the time the family disappeared.
Additionally, a casual worker at the military base, Collins Pamba, has also been placed in custody in connection with the killings. Mr. Pamba is said to have helped the army man bury the bodies at the public cemetery where the government disposes unclaimed bodies.
Major Mwaura is expected to be arraigned on Monday.
