Kirinyaga: Couple arrested for living with mum’s dead body inside makeshift church

The suspect James Muchira and his wife were apprehended at Mutithi village on Monday night after his relatives, led by his brother Evans Mwaniki, asked the area assistant chief to get involved, according to Mwea-West Sub-County Police commander Wilson Koskei.

According to reports, the suspect refused to let anyone inside his residence, which also serves as a church known as "God's mountain of Believers."

'My officers were shocked to discover a decomposed body,' Koskei told Citizen Digital

The suspect allegedly took his mother from a hospital where she was receiving care so that he could pray for her at his home church.

“I don't believe in his family church' Mwaniki said.

The shocked villagers said they were baffled as to how the family managed to live with the dead body despite the tepid smell in their home.

“This is not a church but a cult,' Lucy Njeri, a neighbor said.

In order to protect them from enraged bystanders who wanted to lynch them, Muchira, his wife, and another woman were hastily taken to Kiamaciri police station.

Muchira had informed his neighbors that his mother would "wake up" and resume living with her family on Monday night.

Police chief for Mwea-West, Wilson Koskei, stated that they are looking into the situation to determine what charges to bring against the three.

 'Let us investigate and know charges to charge them with or they might be charged with  abuse of a corpse.

The body of  Tabitha Wakathare was moved to the Kerugoya hospital mortuary awaiting a postmortem.