Detectives Probe Deaths of Kenya Prisons Officer and Makueni Man
Police said members of the public reported the discovery by telephone at about 10.30am, prompting officers to rush to the scene.
Photo: Hubz Media.
By Robert Mutasi
Detectives have launched investigations into the death of a senior Kenya Prisons Service officer whose body was discovered inside his vehicle at an open field behind Spur Mall in Juja, Kiambu County.
The 40-year-old Senior Superintendent of Prisons (SSP), Eric Kiarie Wainaina, who was attached to the Kenya Prisons Service Central Region Headquarters in Nyeri, was found unresponsive on Sunday morning.
Police said members of the public reported the discovery by telephone at about 10.30am, prompting officers to rush to the scene.
Upon arrival, police found Wainaina seated inside a silver Nissan Wingroad, leaning backwards against the vehicle’s open driver’s door.
Senior police officers and officials from the Kenya Prisons Service, led by the Kiambu County Prisons Commander, later visited the scene as investigations got underway.
Crime Scene Investigation officers from Juja also processed and documented the scene as detectives began piecing together the circumstances surrounding the officer’s death.
Police said Wainaina’s identity was established through documents found inside the vehicle, including his Certificate of Appointment, driving licence and passport.
His mobile phone was also recovered from the car. Investigators further found three empty 250ml bottles of spirit, an empty water bottle and tablets associated with hypertension treatment.
A bag containing clothes and shoes was also found inside the vehicle and is believed to have contained the officer’s personal effects.
Bystanders told police that Wainaina was a regular visitor to the area where he was found. However, the circumstances leading to his death had not been established by the time of reporting.
His body was subsequently moved to the mortuary at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital, where it will be preserved pending a postmortem examination.
Meanwhile, police in Makueni County are investigating the death of a 63-year-old man whose body was discovered at the gate of a homestead in Mbuvo, Kathonzweni Subcounty.
The deceased, identified as John Mukule Nzuve of Maviani village, was found lying lifeless at the gate of a local resident’s compound on Sunday, September 6, 2026.
Police officers who visited the scene found Nzuve’s body lying on the ground facing upwards. Officers observed blood on his face and a visible cut wound on his forehead.
Crime Scene Investigation officers documented and processed the scene before the body was taken to Capital Morgue in Kathonzweni for preservation pending an autopsy.
Police have since launched investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding Nzuve’s death.
As of Monday, September 7, 2026, no arrests had been made in connection with either death, with investigators expected to rely on forensic evidence, witness accounts and postmortem findings to determine what happened.
About Author
