Suspect Arrested 20 Months After Allegedly Killing Employer

 Detectives have apprehended a man 20 months after he allegedly killed his employer in Murang'a County, Kenya.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) announced on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, that the suspect, Fred Cheluba Murunga, was arrested at a security firm in another town where he was seeking employment.

According to the statement, Fred had worked for the deceased for only six weeks before he allegedly murdered him with a machete.

"The proverbial fortieth day of a murder suspect believed to have slain his 63-year-old employer in Murang'a on 22nd September 2022 has finally dawned after over 20 months of hiding, causing the affected family untold grief as they sought justice for their kin," the statement read.

"Prior to going berserk and hacking his boss to death, Fred Cheluba Murunga worked as the deceased's farmhand for one and a half months, staying at his home in Kerandi village, Kigumo, Murang'a County.

"The report filed at Ngonda Police Station indicated that on the fateful morning, the suspect sent a 12-year-old grandchild of the late Mzee Paul Njuguna Kamau to a nearby shop. While the child was away, he turned against his employer with a machete.

"The juvenile returned moments later to find his grandfather locked in the kitchen, crying in agonizing pain. The rest of the family members were away, and the young boy had come to visit the elderly man to get him some breakfast.

"The minor raised the alarm, drawing the attention of villagers who rushed to the homestead. Together with local police, they broke into the kitchen only to find Mzee's body soaked in blood, stiff and lifeless. Beside him lay the suspected murder weapon, a machete.

"Enraged neighbors who sought Cheluba's blood searched for him in vain. Not only was he missing, but so were the deceased's motorcycle and mobile phone.

"Kigumo DCI officers took up the case and activated a manhunt for the killer farmhand. Preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased's motorbike and mobile phone had been sold in Eldoret.

"With each passing day, the affected family's hope dwindled, but detectives remained focused and kept the suspect on police radar, seeking the intervention of their counterparts from DCI HQS Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB).

"Acting on crucial intelligence leads, CRIB detectives cornered the murder suspect yesterday at the premises of a security firm based in Ruiru, where he was seeking employment."