Family murder that shocked Laikipia village

At Male village in Laikipia County, mourners gather to pray and condole with the family of a 49-year-old woman, the victim of a cold-blooded murder reportedly executed by her younger brother following a quarrel over Sh2,000.

A few metres from the temporary tent where mourners are conducting prayers and funeral meetings, locals converse in hushed tones, trying to come to terms with the brutal murder of Rebecca Muthoni last Saturday.

A hammer blow to the head abruptly cut short the life of the mother of four.

Her ailing and ageing mother, Ms Mary Wahito, who witnessed the chilling incident is distraught and says she does not wish to see her son near her again.

Mary Wahito narrates the ordeal of how her son, Joseph Gitahi, allegedly killed her daughter, Rebecca Njeri, on Saturday after a dispute at Kiburuti village in Laikipia County. Photo/ JOSEPH KANYI

“As long as I live, I will never again consider him my son. Let the Government deal with him in whichever way they deem fit knowing that none of his family members will support him in the court case,” the distraught mother says.

Soon after the incident, the suspect, Mr Joseph Gitahi, 45, surrendered to the authorities at Matanya police station, five kilometres away.

He was arraigned on Monday to face murder charges but did not take a plea following a request by police for more time to enable them to complete investigations that will include post-mortem tests and a mental assessment on the main suspect.

Back to the home of the accused, his mother describes her fourth-born child, now aged 45 and still a bachelor, as a troublemaker who has never given her peace since her husband died eight years ago.

She recalls how a heated verbal exchange between her children degenerated into a physical confrontation and a tragic end to her daughter’s life.

“My second-born daughter is married in the neighbourhood and on this particular day had visited me to assist in general clean-up and cooking, something she has been doing for a while now. As we were seated in the kitchen his brother came, picked a quarrel with her sister and it ended tragically,” recalls 81-year-old Ms Wahito.

She adds that a day earlier, Mr Gitahi, being the trusted caregiver to his mother, had withdrawn Sh2,000 – the monthly payout by the Government to the elderly under the Inua Jamii Programme.

Ms Wahito remembers his son turning wild when asked how he had spent the money and threatening to kill his sister.

“He walked into the kitchen where we were seated, picked a quarrel and then walked out to fetch a hammer from the store. He hit Muthoni at the back of the head sending her sprawling to the floor, unconscious. The son was still determined to hit her again but I intervened,” explains the mother.

The mother recounts how she picked her metallic walking stick and hit his son on the back forcing him to step out of the house, where he warned neighbours not to answer the distress call lest he kills them.

It took about three hours for relatives and neighbours to gather courage and respond to the distress call. Muthoni was rushed to Naromoru Level Four Hospital, where she succumbed to head injuries while undergoing treatment.

Muthoni’s husband Peter Gachure says that on that particular day, he had travelled to Naromoru to send some food stuff to their daughter, who is a college student in Nyeri.

“We woke up normally and shared the day’s responsibilities. My wife was to visit my mother-in-law to help in washing her clothes and cooking while I packed some cabbages and potatoes to send to our third-born daughter in Nyeri town,” he says.

It is while in Naromoru town that he was informed that his wife was badly injured and was asked to head to the hospital.

“On arrival at the hospital, I forced my way to the emergency room and pushed the medics aside, held my unconscious wife closely and some instinct alerted me she would never wake up again,” recalled Mr Gachure.

The incident has sent shockwaves across the sleepy village that has now been thrust into infamy with villagers warning that such incidents are likely to happen in the future unless authorities deal decisively with alcoholism as well as drug and substance abuse.

Ms Alice Mwai, a village elder, says such an incident where a brother kills a sister in front of their mother has never been witnessed in the locality in the past.

“I have watched some bizarre murder incidents on television and never imagined it could happen in my village. We should all join efforts to fight drug and substance abuse which is slowly eroding society’s morals,” notes Ms Mwai.

Tigithi location chief Wilson Thuo admits that alcoholism and drug abuse are rampant in the area but accuses parents of failing to cooperate with authorities in eradicating the vice.

Tigithi 1 location chief Wilson Thuo speaking at Mary Wahito’s home at Kiburuti village in Laikipia County on January 15, 2024. While confirming the death of Rebecca Njeri, he urged the government to come up with a way of ensuring that the Sh2000 monthly stipend to elderly citizens through Inua Jamii cash transfer programme gets to the beneficiary directly saying that it is causing conflicts in many families. Photo/ JOSEPH KANYI

“Some family members are protective of their kin and alert them of an impending raid by police. We cannot win this war without cooperation from citizens,” warns Mr Thuo.​

mwndirangu@ke.nationmedia.com

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