A Ugandan national accused of the gruesome murder of his employer at Kombuini village in Kirinyaga county has been arrested, after nearly seven months of being on the run.
The alleged fugitive was arrested on Sunday, May 19, in Uganda and whisked off to Kirinyaga where he is said to have committed the offence.
He is currently being held at Kiamaciri police station and is expected to face murder charges after investigations are complete.
The suspect, who was an employed farmhand went into hiding in November last year after he allegedly murdered his employer, Rose Muthoni Kariuki, 64, and escaped with her mobile phone.
Detectives explained how they tracked down his mobile phone number and caught up with him in his home country.
“We have managed to arrest the suspect after pursuing him for months. We were also able to recover the phone which he had stolen from the deceased,” one of the senior detectives who wished not to be named said.
The deceased was found strangled to death, with blood oozing from the mouth and nose inside her house.
According to the neighbours, they became suspicious when they failed to see the deceased and decided to check on her. They found her lying dead on the bed.
The deceased also bore bruises on the neck, indicating that she was brutally killed.
The farmhand was missing from the homestead.
Residents said the woman had, before her death, lived alone in her home as all her children were employed far from home.
“The deceased had employed the young man from Uganda to work on the farm as her children were away from home, sadly the farmhand snuffed out her life for reasons which are yet to be established,” one of the residents said.
Residents said they were happy that the suspect had been apprehended after a long search.
“We are glad that finally the suspect has been captured, he should now face the law so that the family can get justice,” one of the residents John Kiragu said.
The residents described the deceased as a humble, God-fearing and friendly person who did not deserve such a painful death.
The deceased has since been buried.
