A 19-year-old suspect linked to several heinous crimes in Rongai sub-county, Nakuru County, has been arraigned before the Nakuru High Court and charged with four counts of murder.
The arrest of Ezekiel Sakwa Mwangi, also known as Kwame on August 18, 2024, set off a chain of legal proceedings, beginning with his arraignment at the Molo Law Courts the following day.
According to a statement, the Molo Magistrate Court granted detectives a 30-day window to delve deeper into the case, a task that was soon taken over by homicide detectives from the DCI headquarters.
“The investigation uncovered a gruesome timeline of events spanning from July to August 2024. Mwangi is suspected to have sexually assaulted and murdered four women, including a minor.” Read the statement.
Adding that: “The horror began on July 13, 2024, when five-year-old Alice Ayuma was found dead in a maize plantation in the Mwangaza area, her body bearing the marks of a brutal assault with a rungu.”
DCI explained that the violence continued on August 5, 2024, when Virginia Njeri Mwangi met a similar fate at the Menengai prayer cave.
The following day, in Kalyet village, 34-year-old Florence Mueni Mwalimu was struck down, and her body discarded in a bush. The killing spree culminated on August 7, 2024, along the railway line at Baraka Estate, where Vellah Moraa Mogambi was attacked and fatally wounded.
When presented before court, Mwangi pleaded not guilty to all charges and sought release on bond, a request that was firmly opposed by the ODPP. The case is set for mention on October 15, 2024.
While urging the public to report cases of gender based violence to police for action, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations reiterated that it remains steadfast in its mission to combat violence against women and children.