Man, wife, watchman accused of killing nephew in family dispute

The deceased, John Ithonga.

Police in Kikuyu, Kiambu County have launched investigations into an incident where a 20-year-old was tortured and brutally murdered on Friday night.

Sources close to the investigations say the body of John Ithonga was found lying in the garden naked, bearing serious head injuries and with blood stains.

The deceased’s clothes were discovered not far from his body.

“The case was reported by the deceased’s uncle vide OB:25/16/07/2022. The report indicated that the security guard had beaten up an intruder who was unconscious but that was not the case at the scene. We found a body,” an officer who sought anonymity has told The Standard.

According to Anthony Ithonga, the deceased’s father, his son had differences with the uncle, who is among three suspects arrested by police.

Ithonga has also told The Standard that his deceased son was living with the suspect and his wife in one of their parents’ properties in Kikuyu.

“I told my small brother to leave in our mother’s property when he opened up to me about his strained financial situation. Then I decided to let him stay with my elder son in the family property,” Ithonga revealed.

However, since the 20-year-old moved in, his father says that he constantly complained of having differences with his uncle.

The Standard has established that the deceased’s parents and two siblings live in Kamango village, a few kilometres from Kikuyu town.

Before schools closed for the holidays a fortnight ago, John had visited his parents and explained how his uncle had been mistreating him.

“I think he did not want to live with my son on the farm because since I asked him to accommodate him, he changed. My son was constantly complaining of his uncle’s actions towards him,” the father of the deceased said.

Then went on, “I have stayed with him for days until last Tuesday he went back to Kikuyu to pick up his belongings. He did not come back,”

Ithango says his wife (the deceased’s mother) met his son at the market on Friday and he promised to show up home the following day after his uncle allowed him to pick his personal belongings from the house.

“Little did we know it was the last time we were hearing from our son,” Ithanga said, fighting back tears.

“My brother called my wife on Saturday morning at 8 am and said that the security guard had beaten up our son. When I heard the inconsistencies in his narration, I decided to take up the matter and rushed to Kikuyu,”

Ithango says he tried to inquire about the whereabouts of the security guard being accused of assaulting his son but was met with baseless explanations.

This is what prompted him to rush to Kikuyu town.

He got to their Kikuyu family property and found his son’s naked body in the shamba within the compound.

By this time, a crowd had formed around the homestead trying to get a glimpse of what had transpired as crime detectives combed through the crime scene.

Police have arrested the deceased’s uncle, his wife and the homestead’s security guard who was on duty Friday night to aid with investigations into the incident.

The body has been moved to St Teresa Kikuyu Hospital morgue awaiting post-mortem.

The three suspects are being held at Kikuyu Police Station awaiting arraignment once investigations are over.