KIRINYAGA, Kenya — The residents of Kegwa village in Kirinyaga County are reeling from shock and grief following the discovery of the body of 72-year-old Margaret Wanduma Maina. The elderly woman was allegedly raped and killed by her grandson in a tragedy that has left the local community in disbelief.
Her remains were located on Sunday afternoon deep within the Njukiini forest, approximately 500 meters from the main road.
The body was first spotted by a local resident, Charles Kabuga, who was in the forest area performing routine chores. Kabuga noted that he found a man’s belt lying near the deceased.
“We live near this forest. As I was chasing away the monkeys, I found the body, which I could not identify before raising an alarm and informing the authorities,” Kabuga stated.
Detectives who processed the scene recovered the victim’s national identity card and an ATM card. Kimotho Munyi, another witness, noted that Wanduma was a familiar face at the local trading post.
“She always visits the local shopping centre when she wants to have a beer,” Kimotho said.
The final hours
Preliminary reports suggest that the suspect, identified as James Njiru (alias ‘Matheri’), was seen drinking with his grandmother at the Muthigini shopping center on Saturday night.
The pair reportedly boarded a boda boda to return home, but a dispute over the fare occurred during the journey.
The motorcycle operator allegedly forced the two to disembark after they paid only Ksh 100, falling short of the agreed-upon amount. It is believed the fatal encounter occurred shortly after they were left on the road.
Confession and arrest
Following his apprehension, the suspect reportedly admitted to the killing. As he was being escorted to a waiting police vehicle, he made a startling claim to the gathered crowd:
“My grandmother is the one who forced me to have sex with her,” Njiru told the residents.
Also Read: 29-year-old woman raped, strangled to death by two men in Embakasi
Kirinyaga-East Sub-county Police Commander Johnson Wachira confirmed the arrests, noting that Njiru and another relative are currently in custody.
“Njiru and one of his relatives had been arrested and are being held at Kianyaga police station,” the police commander confirmed.
The body of Margaret Wanduma has been moved to the mortuary, where a postmortem examination will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death. Investigations into the matter are ongoing.
