Detectives have launched an investigation after a 72-year-old woman from Kirinyaga County was found dead in River Kiringa in the Njuuku sub-location, Gichugu constituency.
According to official reports, Jane Wawira, a resident of Gitondo village, had been reported missing three days earlier.
Authorities revealed that Wawira was last seen on Thursday, November 21, leaving a local shopping center as a pillion passenger on a motorbike, reportedly heading home. However, her failure to arrive prompted a frantic three-day search.
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Her lifeless body was discovered floating in the river by a fisherman, sparking suspicions among residents. Locals believe she may have been robbed and murdered, with her body later dumped in the river.
Denis Muriithi, a close relative of the deceased, stated that Wawira had gone to the shopping center to sell her cow. "She took a motorbike home but never made it. I suspect this crime was committed by people familiar with her from the village," Muriithi said.
The incident led to unrest in the community. An enraged mob set fire to a homestead linked to one of the suspects, destroying property. Police intervened to prevent a similar fate for a second suspect's residence, dispersing the crowd and restoring order.
Kirinyaga-East Sub-County Police Commander Johnson Wachira confirmed the ongoing investigation. "We are currently treating the case as a possible drowning until we gather more evidence," Wachira explained, urging residents not to take matters into their own hands.
Wawira's body has been moved to Kibugi Funeral Home in Kutus, where a postmortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
