By Linda Muhanji
Police in Nakuru have arrested Zachariah Wanjohi in connection with the death of his wife, 23-year-old Hannah Waithera, an M-Pesa agent whose decomposed body was discovered a week after she was reported missing.
Waithera, who ran a mobile money outlet in Nakuru’s central business district, was last seen on Wednesday of the previous week as she left her shop to deposit over Ksh 250,000 at a nearby bank. She never returned home, prompting her family to report her disappearance at Nakuru’s Central Police Station.
The case took a tragic turn on Wednesday afternoon when police summoned Wanjohi’s family to Kaptembwa Police Station in Nakuru West. Officers informed them that a decomposed body, found two days earlier in a plantation at Technology Farm, had been positively identified as Waithera.
Investigators revealed that Waithera’s phone was last traced to the Kijabe area on the same day she vanished—raising further questions about the circumstances surrounding her death.
In a statement made before his arrest, Wanjohi had told local media that he was deeply concerned when his wife failed to return home and claimed to have taken steps to find her.
“I called her, but she didn’t pick up. I went to her workplace, and they told me she left at around 1 p.m. and hasn’t been seen since. I began searching for her and even gave her number to a police officer friend to trace,” Wanjohi said.
However, suspicion grew as details of the investigation unfolded. Authorities have not disclosed what evidence led to Wanjohi's arrest, but sources close to the investigation suggest forensic and phone data may have played a role.
Family members say their pain was compounded by what they describe as heavy-handed police conduct in the days following Waithera’s disappearance. Her mother, Mary Njeri, recounted a tense encounter with law enforcement officers during a search of their home.
“They came and harassed us violently. They should not have treated us that way, especially since we had just come from giving our statements. Before we even got home, they were already there,” Njeri said. “They opened our car and grabbed a bag. One of the officers hit someone. A female officer pulled a pistol on us and took all our phones.”
The family is now calling for a thorough and transparent investigation, demanding justice for Waithera, whom they describe as a hardworking and kind young woman with a promising future.
0 $type={facebook}:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.