Detectives from Mathira West have retrieved the lifeless body of nine-year-old Shantel Waruguru Kagema from a pit latrine in Kianjathi village, following her mysterious disappearance on February 8, 2026.
On that fateful morning, Shantel’s parents left for the day around 0800hrs, leaving Shantel at home with her 4-year-old sister. Upon returning home at approximately 1830hrs, they were met with the devastating realisation that Shantel was nowhere to be found.
The parents wasted no time in alerting law enforcement officers, prompting an exhaustive search that unearthed disturbing clues: undergarments and shoes, discovered on an old blue mattress in an abandoned house nearby.
Shantel’s mother confirmed the items belonged to her daughter. The scene was processed and documented by Crime Scene Investigations (CSI) officers and a manhunt for the perpetrator commenced.
Police said that intelligence zeroed in on Peter Njuguna, who was arrested, and upon interrogation, led detectives to the grisly location where he’d discarded Shantel’s body in his pit latrine.
With assistance from the members of the public, detectives retrieved Shantel’s body, taking it to the mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
Preliminary investigations revealed that on the day of the tragedy, Njuguna, who lives nearby, coaxed Shantel’s younger sister by giving her Ksh 10 to go and buy sweets.
With the sister momentarily out of the house, he remained with Shantel, where the suspect committed an unspeakable act against Shantel before callously disposing of her in his pit latrine.
A 21-day custodial order was secured on Tuesday to detain the suspect to enable them conduct a comprehensive investigation.
