A bloody year: Bizarre crimes that shook the nation in 2021

Private bikers outside Kitengela Police Station in protest of the brutal murder of four young men reportedly mistaken for cattle thieves in Kitengela, August 15, 2021. [David Njaaga, Standard]

Looking back, the year presented Kenyans with some of the most bizarre criminal acts. From gruesome murders to daring heists. From puzzling crimes of passion to sophisticated jail breaks from some of the most guarded institutions. The Sunday Standard goes back and looks at some of the crimes that gripped the nation’s attention.

In the early days of 2021, the nation was gripped by the murder of 55-year-old US-based nurse Nicholas Njoroge Warunge. His brutal murder – dying from blood loss as a result of 34 stab wounds – made news headlines across platforms. On that fateful day he wasn’t the only victim. Four other family members met their deaths on the same day too. Investigations fingered Njoroge’s son, a university student, as the main suspect in the murders.