A farmhand accused of brutally hacking his 63-year-old employer to death in 2022 was arrested in Ruiru on Monday while attempting to secure a job at a local security firm.
Fred Cheluba Murunga reportedly committed the offence on September 22, 2022, killing Paul Njuguna Kamau at his family residence in Kigumo, Murang’a County, before fleeing the scene.
The suspect had been working for the deceased for one and half months prior to the incident.
“The report booked at Ngonda Police Station indicated that on the fateful morning, the suspect sent a 12-year-old grandchild of the late Mzee Paul Njuguna Kamau to a nearby shop, and while he was away, turned against his employer with a machete,” the DCI said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The juvenile would only return moments later to find his grandfather locked up in the kitchen, crying in agonizing pain. Apparently, the rest of the family members were away, and the young boy had gone to visit the aged man to get him some breakfast.”
The minor subsequently raised alarm, drawing the attention of neighbours and police who arrived at the scene only to find that Kamau had passed away.
“Beside him lay the suspected murder weapon, a machete. Enraged neighbours who bayed for Cheluba’s blood searched for him unsuccessfully. Not only was he missing, but so were the deceased’s motorcycle and mobile phone,” said the DCI.
“Taking up the case, Kigumo DCI officers activated manhunt for the killer farmhand, with preliminary investigations revealing that the deceased’s motorbike and mobile phone were sold out in Eldoret.”
Detectives persisted in their efforts to track down the suspect, seeking the intervention of their counterparts from DCI’s Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB).
“Acting on crucial intelligence leads, CRIB detectives yesterday cornered the murder suspect at the premises of a security firm based in Ruiru, where he was seeking employment,” said the DCI.
