Killer on the loose in Meru village sends residents into panic

Palpable fear has spread in Kathurumu village, Igembe South, Meru County after a man who was recently released from jail hacked his two stepbrothers to death following a row over land.

Stanley Ntarangwi, 44, is believed to be on the run after slashing Mr Charles Kathongi, 43 and Mr Joseph Mukaria, 54, claiming they had allocated him a smaller portion of ancestral land.

He is reported to have attacked Mr Kathongi on December 30, 2021 accusing him of harvesting his mature trees while he was serving a 14-year jail term for slashing the hand of another resident in an incident which was not land related.

On January 25, at around 11am, Ntarangwi waylaid Mr Mukaria at a bushy corner as he went back home from the shop, and hacked him to death. This happened as family and friends planned the burial of Mr Kathongi.

Angry residents torched Ntarangwi's house after he fled.

Residents say the fugitive is working with a local gang and some sympathizers who watched last week’s gory attack.

Mr Mukaria’s wife, Ms Beatrice Ncooro was in pain as she described how she learnt of her husband’s death from her young child, who witnessed the traumatizing incident.

“My little child witnessed the killing and is the one who came and told me that his father had been killed. It is sad that the attacker was working with some villagers who failed to warn him of the imminent danger, or raise the alarm during the killing,” she said amid tears.

Following the incidents, other relatives have fled their homes and sought refuge elsewhere, fearing attack by Ntarangwi.

“He has killed my father and my uncle and is saying that he will wipe out the entire family so as to take the land. We are not safe here,” said Fredrick Kimathi.

Mr Amos Murangiri, a nephew to the attacker, said the nature of the second killing in broad daylight and the fact that people went about their work as it happened had left them in shock.

“Eyewitnesses said he wrestled him, bit his eye… He has been hunting for us day and night and we are forced to go into hiding,” he said.

Kanuni Chief Japhet Kaibiria said the police and nyumba kumi officials had mounted a search for the man whom he said was moving around with two razor-sharp machetes.

The administrator said they were worried that some people could be harbouring the fugitive since efforts to track him had not yielded fruits and warned those found culpable would be arrested.

“At first he had pretended to be a changed man and even got saved. He then started picking quarrels with his brothers over trees that had been harvested and I talked to him.” said the chief.

Kanuni MCA Josphat Mugambi appealed to residents to help track down the fugitive.

“He needs to be seized so that he is taken to court. If the government doesn’t arrest him, we will carry out a search operation on our own and seize him,” he appealed.

The bodies of the two are at Nyambene sub county hospital mortuary.

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