Man arrested after allegedly hacking uncle to death in Kirinyaga

A 32-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly hacking his 50-year-old uncle to death in a gripping incident that shocked residents of Rwambiti Village in Baragwi Ward, Gichugu, Kirinyaga County.

Kirinyaga East Sub-County Police Commander Johnson Wachira confirmed the incident, saying the suspect attacked his uncle, Samuel Waweru Gachau, with a panga, leaving him with multiple injuries.

Gachau was rushed to Kianyaga Hospital but died while receiving treatment.

“We are holding the suspect here at Kianyaga Police Station. We are interrogating him to establish what happened. He will be arraigned tomorrow as detectives continue with investigations,” Wachira said.

Preliminary reports indicate the suspect allegedly went to his uncle’s house, hid under the bed, and attacked him with a panga. The victim raised an alarm, prompting residents to rush him to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Angry residents descended on the suspect and beat him before police rescued him. They took him to the hospital for treatment and later placed him in custody.

“I wonder what’s happening in this world. What the hell!” said shocked residents Josphine Muthoni and Purity Njoki.

The killing comes amid growing concern from church leaders in Kirinyaga over a spike in murder cases.

“The Bible says do not kill and do not kill yourself. When you go to the hospital, doctors try to save lives and take patients to the ICU because they value life,” ACK Bishop Joseph Karimi Kibucwa said while preaching during a clergyman’s burial at Mukui, Ndia.