Police major on jilted love as main motive of murder of magistrate's daughter

Women hold peaceful demonstrations in Meru to condemn the murder of nine year old Maribel Kapolon on September 18, 2018. She was the daughter to Senior resident magistrate at Githongo Law courts Caroline Kemei. They made a procession to the County Commissioner's office where they submitted a petition. It was organised by Ripples International and Centre For Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW). [Olivia Murithi, Standard]

A jilted lover is being questioned over the murder of a Senior Resident Magistrate’s daughter.

Yesterday, Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti told a media outlet in Nairobi detectives believed Maribel Kapolon was murdered due to a fallout between her mother and a lover.

In Meru, sources in the DCI said the prime suspect was a former prison officer who worked in Meru, but left employment in unclear circumstances.

He is one of the two suspects who are in police custody over the murder of the Standard Four pupil.

Kapolon (pictured) was kidnapped shortly after she was dropped by her school bus on September 6.

According to police, the child was abducted by a person she knew well. The man was said to have been waiting for her near her home in Milimani.

Police sources say Kapolon told the two children who were with her when she was dropped by the bus: “This one is my uncle, I know him very well.”

Kapolon’s mutilated and decomposing body was found in Upper Imenti Forest last Sunday.

Suspect questioned

The suspect, who was arrested in a Meru town estate, was interrogated yesterday at the Meru Town Police Station where his fingerprints were also taken around midday.

The other suspect, who was arrested in Kayole, Nairobi, is believed to have been the man who called the family to ask for ransom after a plea was made on social media over the missing child.

“We believe that suspect was just an opportunist; he saw an opportunity to make money from the agony of the family, but by making that call he landed himself in big trouble,” said a police source.

Yesterday, two Non-Governmental Organisations held a demonstration in Meru town to condemn the killing of the child and protest the way investigations were conducted after the kidnap was reported.

“That it took the DCI and police 10 days to trace Maribel shows laxity and a carefree attitude among the police in matters of safety and security of our children and the community as a whole,” said Ripples International and Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW) in a joint statement.

The organisations said the manner police investigated the case “showed a trend of normalisation of insecurity in Meru”.

In the statement signed by Ripple’s Executive Director Mercy Chidi Baidoo and Creaw’s Leah Wangui Mutumbu, the NGOs demanded change in the manner police respond to such incidents.

The protesters also criticised the DCI’s insistence that a love-affair gone sour was the cause of the gruesome murder, saying all other angles should be investigated.