How GSU officer killed lover and five-month-old child

Court gavel. (Courtesy)

Being a police officer, Edwin Mwenda should have known better that no murder is perfect; there is always a trail of evidence, however minute.

The 30-year-old was found guilty of murdering his lover and her five-month-old baby before concealing evidence at Njarange village in Mbeere North, Embu County. Mwenda brutally killed Pauline Kagendo and her child Johnstone Murithi on June 10, 2017 and moved on with his life, convinced that his cover will never be blown. 

The former General Service Unit (GSU) officer will now serve a death sentence for the murder of mother and son after the court found him guilty. He could perhaps still be walking scot-free had Mwenda’s sister Diana Mukami not fallen in love with the deceased’s brother identified as James Kinyua.

It is Mukami, who a year later, confided in Kinyua what befell his sister and nephew. In a blow-by-blow account, Mukami revealed to the boyfriend how Mwenda killed Kagendo and her son before dumping the bodies in a pit latrine at their home.

It is this chilling revelation that opened a fresh round of investigations that led to the retrieving of bones in the pit latrine, and eventual conviction of Mwenda.  

According to testimonies at Embu High Court, Mwenda was determined to execute his ex-lover who had become a thorn in the flesh for demanding money for upkeep of the child.

The court heard that Mukami and Tabitha Njoki, a house help, witnessed what happened. The two women however, lived in fear after the officer warned them of dire consequences should they ever disclose what they had seen.

The court was told that when Mwenda discovered that his sister was in a relationship with Kinyua, he started beating Mukami. 

Kinyua narrated in court how his sister disappeared with her son on their way to hospital on a day she was also expected to meet Mwenda who had allegedly promised to foot the medical bill. 

Mukami testified that on the fateful day, his brother asked for some gunny bags to allegedly carry sugarcane from the farm. However, she noticed Mwenda appeared disturbed.

On inquiry why he looked nervous, Mwenda told her that he was in a foul mood after having picked a fight with a young man.

The witness recounted having heard noise emanating from the farm where Mwenda had gone to fetch sugarcane about 100 metres away. 

Burning meat

She recalled having seen from a distance, his brother lifting a stick and hitting severally an object on the ground. After about 20 minutes, Mwenda returned to the homestead. According to Mukami, her brother had bruises with fresh blood stains on the attire. 

“He lit a fire outside the cowshed using some leaves he had collected but the smoke from the fire reeked of burning meat. When he noticed that I and Njoki were watching him, he ordered us to go into the house,” said Mukami.

She also testified that her brother had bloodstains on his clothes and he seemed disturbed. She later noticed that the latrine opening had been enlarged. 

On her part, Njoki said she noticed the officer had a thorn pierced on his arm. Mwenda alleged requested the house help to remove it, but she was unable.

She told the court that the accused took a panga and an axe handle, but before leaving, he locked them in the house. “I heard a woman’s voice screaming while the shouting in ki-Mbeere; ‘go and tell your relatives that they will not take me anywhere.”

Njoki further claimed she saw Mwenda collect some items from the fire he had lit, and took them to the latrine before unlocking the door and ordering them to resume their work.

Kinyua told court that his sister was Mwenda’s girlfriend who dropped out of school in 2016 after getting pregnant. He also testified that late Kagendo delivered the baby at their maternal home where the accused used to visit them and when baby got sick, their mother demanded Mwenda to bear the medical costs.

It is the demand that forced Kagendo to leave home in company of his son for Ishiara District Hospital and never to return home.

Kagendo’s mother Annorata Karimi admitted that her daughter and the accused were in a relationship. She told court that she confronted Mwenda about the pregnancy and he paid Sh3,000 for maternity fees promising to take care of the unborn child.

The granny claimed that on the day her daughter left home, Mwenda called warning her never to bother him about the whereabouts of Kagendo, since the girlfriend had eloped with another man.

In defence, the accused stated that he knew the deceased, who was his fiancé but he did not sire any child with her.

While convicting the GSU officer, Judge Lucy Njuguna observed that although it may not be known how Mwenda caused the deaths, a lot could be deduced from the manner in which he burned the remains and then disposed them in the pit latrine.

“In my view, the actions of interring the bodies of the victims in that manner, speaks to the intention by the accused person to kill and completely destroy his victims such that they would not be discovered. I think that the murders were well calculated and executed willingly by the accused person,” noted judge Njuguna.

In mitigation, the accused submitted that his wife is expectant, and that he is a father of two children, sole bread winner who pays school fees of his siblings some in primary school.

Pleading for leniency, Mwenda told court he is in good standing with his employer and that he was ready to settle the matter with Kagendo’s family.

The prosecution submitted that the manner in which the murder was committed left no room for leniency hence maximum sentence to ensure the accused is punished.

While condemning Mwenda to the gallows, Judge Njuguna noted that from the evidence, the accused hoped he would not be disciplined but unfortunately the law had caught up with him and had to suffer the consequences bearing in mind he is a police officer expected to respect the law.

“Considering the circumstances under which the offence was committed, a custodial sentence will serve the most and the accused will serve a death sentence in the manner prescribed by the law,” Justice Njuguna ruled.