Suspect Arrested Over Murder of 65-Year-Old Woman
Police subsequently conducted an identification parade, during which the suspect was positively identified in connection with the attack.
Photo: Hubz Media.
By Robert Mutasi
Detectives in Meru County have arrested a prime suspect in connection with the murder of 65-year-old Evelyne Mukiri Mbaabu, who was fatally attacked at her home in Kithoka, Imenti East Sub-county.
Mbaabu was killed on August 7, 2026, while preparing supper with her 13-year-old grandson.According to investigators, an unidentified man entered the compound and proceeded to the kitchen, where he asked for drinking water.
Moments later, the teenage boy heard his grandmother screaming for help. The boy rushed to the kitchen and found Mbaabu lying in a pool of blood.
The attacker then allegedly turned on him and struck him on the hand with a panga before fleeing from the scene.Mbaabu was rushed to Grace Park Hospital for emergency treatment but was pronounced dead on arrival.
The murder prompted a weeks-long investigation involving detectives from the Meru County Criminal Investigations Office and DCI Imenti North.Through forensic analysis and intelligence-led investigations, detectives traced the main suspect, identified as Solomon Kathurima Kairemia.
Kairemia was arrested on September 21, 2026, after detectives established his whereabouts. Investigators said the suspect had abandoned his house following the murder and had been spending nights hiding in nearby thickets, reportedly only a few metres from his residence.
During the arrest, detectives recovered a blood-stained panga believed to have been used in the attack. The weapon was secured as an exhibit and is expected to undergo further forensic examination as investigations continue.
Police subsequently conducted an identification parade, during which the suspect was positively identified in connection with the attack. Kairemia was later presented before the Meru Law Courts, where investigators obtained a 14-day custodial order to allow them more time to complete investigations.
The detectives are expected to continue examining forensic evidence and other leads as they seek to establish the circumstances and motive behind the killing.The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has expressed condolences to Mbaabu’s family, friends and relatives following her death.
The agency said its investigations would continue with the aim of establishing the full circumstances surrounding the murder and bringing anyone found culpable before the law.
The arrest marks a major development in the investigation, coming more than six weeks after the elderly woman was killed at her home.
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