Police probing murder of 80-year-old woman in Mbooni

Police have launched a manhunt for suspects behind the killing of an 80-year-old woman in Mbooni East.

Mbooni sub-county police boss Peter Njeru said the body of Malinda Lavu was found in her grass-thatched house in Kiseki village, Kisau last Thursday.

Njeru said the body of the woman, who used to live alone, bore no signs of struggle. A mango had been inserted in her mouth, possibly to prevent her from raising screaming.

"The motive of the murder remains unclear but police have launched investigations into the incident," he said.

Njeru said unconfirmed reports indicated that some drunken youths had been sexually abusing the elderly woman in the past.

The police boss said he received the news of the murder from villagers as he led a team of security officers in a crackdown on illicit brews.

"We learned of the incident when residents, who hitherto did not know about our mission, asked us whether we had gone to collect the body of the deceased," added Njeru.

The body was taken to Makueni Level Five Hospital mortuary to await a post-mortem examination as investigations got underway.

During the crackdown, a woman and a man were arrested and more than 370 litres of illicit brew impounded.