Mystery women killings put locals on edge

Florence Mueni was killed one kilometre from her house in Kalyet Estate, Rongai Sub-County. [File, Standard]

When Florence Mueni, a banker, left home on Tuesday morning to go to work, her three-year-old son was sick. Soon after getting to work, she decided to go back home and check on him; but little did she know that death was waiting for her.

On Wednesday, Mueni's lifeless body was discovered in a maize plantation one kilometre from her house in Kalyet Estate, Rongai Sub-County.

Mueni's husband Erick Mureithi said his wife was raped, her body mutilated, with signs of strangulation and head injuries.

The body, the husband said, had missing ears and a missing right thumb. Her phone and belongings were scattered around.

"On Tuesday I texted my wife at around 9am confirming our son's status given that he was sick, and she replied to the message at 11am, which was our last conversation," he said.

Mureithi, who was working within the Nyanza region, said that at around 10pm he received a call from his 11-year-old son that his wife was not home and her phone was switched off.

He is said to have made calls to her in-laws to inquire if she had spoken to them, but none had a clue of her whereabouts.

Upon calling her colleague, the man established that his wife had left home early to attend to their sick son.

On Wednesday, he travelled to Nakuru and reported the incident at Nakuru Central Police Station but was advised to wait for 24 hours to file a missing person's report.

"I went home unsettled, and wanted to know where my wife was. At around 2pm, I went to Nakuru to report but was called midway by the area assistant chief to return to the police post," he added.

Upon arriving at Menengai Police Station, he learnt that a body had been discovered in a maize plantation, only to discover it was his wife.

"The body was found on the way to our home. We conducted a postmortem on Thursday and the pathologist said that her ears were chopped off while alive and her right thumb is yet to be recovered," he said.

He described his wife as a loving wife, mother, and pillar of the family. He said she had left a void in their lives, indicating that her life revolved around her job, home and church.

Shockingly on Thursday at Kiamunyi area, the body of 30-year-old Vera Mugambi was discovered in a maize plantation at around 9am.

Rongai Director of Criminal Investigations Donater Otieno said Mugambi was a food vendor supplying food to casual labourers in Kiamunyi. He said Mugambi went missing on Wednesday after supplying food. Her mutilated body was discovered in a maize plantation raped and killed.

"She had multiple injuries on her face and stab wounds believed to have been inflicted with a knife," he said.

And on July 15, five-year-old Alice Ayuma Blessings was found defiled, killed, and dumped in a maize plantation a few metres from Mueni's place.

In both incidents, the officer said the killing was done elsewhere and the bodies dumped at the plantation. He said investigations are ongoing.