From left: Vivian Kajaya, Eileen Cherotich, Seth Nyakio and Rita Waeni.
The manner in which four people were killed this week after they went missing, with the discovery of their bodies telling the horror of brutal deaths, has shone a spotlight on unresolved murders.
The bodies of Waris Daud, her daughter Nuseiba Dahir, 12, her niece Amina Abdirashad, 23 and that of Willis Onyango Ayieko bore signs of torture such as head wounds, broken limbs, gouged out eyes and missing body parts.
The four are just the latest in a wave of abductions and killings that have swept the country, turning the heat on the police.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja this week said he had noted the disturbing patterns of murder cases that have been reported to the police, especially in the last two months.
“A comparative analysis of murder cases reported from August to October for the years 2022-2024, indicates a slight increase. In 2024, a total of 339 murder cases have so far been recorded compared with 336 cases in 2023 and 341 cases in 2022 respectively,” he said.
His statement was made as detectives attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are investigating the murders.
However, it is not just the numbers that are raising concern—it is also the gruesome manner in which the killings are done with no suspects arrested in most cases.
Equally, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and Haki Afrika have condemned the recent murders, calling on the police and officers attached to DCI to ensure that they get hold of those behind the crimes.
Daud had left home in the morning of Monday, October 21, 2024, informing Dahir and Abdirashad, 23, that she wanted to undergo some skin-care treatment at a facility located at the Business Bay Square (BBS) Mall.
When she failed to return home and it was already getting late, the girls started making calls to her, which were answered. It remains unclear who lured them into a death trap.
On that night a lot of activities within Machakos and Nairobi Counties took place.
Daud’s body was found in the Kyumbi, a bushy and thorny area with minimal human activities. Police say they have made progress in their pursuit of the main suspect believed to have been involved in the murder of Daud and the two girls.
Acting in rage
However, the manner in which her body was found clearly shows that her killers were acting in rage—with the motive yet to be established — as she had deep cuts on the face, eyes gouged out and neck almost severed. She had also been sexually assaulted.
The bodies of the other two would be found within Nairobi County. Nuseiba’s body was recovered opposite Bahati Primary School in Kamkunji sub-County while that of Abdirashad was found along Mwambo Road in Parklands.
The murder of the three is being investigated by a team of sleuths attached to the DCI Headquarters along the busy Kiambu Road.
After he went missing for four days, the mutilated body of Willis Ayieko, the Wells Fargo Human Resource Director was found dumped in a shallow stream within Gem Constituency.
Mr Willis Ayieko, the Head of Human Resource (HR) at Wells Fargo. He went missing on Friday October 18, 2024, in Siaya County.
His body was found with his hands handcuffed to the back, some of his body parts were chopped off and his legs had been tied with the trousers he was wearing on the fateful day.
His car had also been abandoned several kilometres away at a centre in Sabatia, Kakamega County.
His family said the car was intact and showed no signs of blood, but his pistol, which contained 14 rounds of ammunition, was missing. Police have confirmed that the 55-year-old was a licensed gun owner.
On the night of Monday, October 21, 2024, the body of James OnchirI Nyaata, a senior advocate of the High Court, was found outside the Kajiado Law Courts.
It was found under his car with visible head injuries and according to Mr Kanja, the lawyer had been enjoying drinks in a bar next to the judiciary.
At 21:26pm, Nyaata was seen being assisted by three people who placed him next to his vehicle at the rear side. He was in the company of his secretary, Mr Erick Ondiek.
“CCTV footage retrieved by the investigators for forensic analysis has shown Erick Ondiek dragging the deceased from the bar towards the vehicle, before he reverses and runs over the deceased, then flees the scene leaving the car behind,” said Mr Kanja.
He further revealed that the postmortem analysis attributed the cause of death to chest injuries due to blunt force trauma.
“Five suspects, including the bar owner and the attendants, have been arrested to assist the police with investigation,” he said.
Victoria Mumbua Muloki, whose body was found at City Mortuary in Nairobi County after she went missing for almost two weeks, died after being beaten repeatedly with a blunt object before being strangled to death.
A post-mortem performed by government pathologist Johansen Oduor also revealed that the late Mumbua fought her attacker— suggesting that she tried to protect herself.
At the time, Dr Oduor told the Nation that the mother of three also had physical injuries on her body and that “her killer had acted deliberately”.
The 35-year-old taxi driver from Mombasa County disappeared after taking a client from Mombasa to Samburu, Kwale County, on September 27, only for her body to be found at the City Mortuary in Nairobi.
Earlier, a police report had erroneously indicated that Mumbua was found alive but unconscious in Migori. However, it later emerged that this was not the case, with her family saying they had not been notified.
Bizarre case
Last week, another bizarre case was reported in Thika Town's Biafra Estate on October 14. 23-year-old Seth Nyakio was found dead in a rental house having been strangled as she fought for her life.
An autopsy conducted by two pathologists at General Kago Mortuary further stated that the most probable cause of death was "manual strangulation while her nose and mouth was covered by a palm".
The autopsy by Dr John Mathaiya (for the State) and Dr Charles Muturi (for the family) stated that the killer(s) was or were powerful enough to manage to pin her down.
"Her body bore abrasions around vaginal opening with blood streaks around it to suggest sexual assault," the report reads.
It adds that the late Nyakio, also had suffered multiple bruises on the neck, cheeks, breasts, thighs, eyebrows and elbows to suggest the sexual assault had met resistance.
On September 1, Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei was preparing to head to church from her home in Mount Elgon.
Her ex-boyfriend then called a friend of his inquiring whether he would borrow a lighter.
The ex-boyfriend would end up dousing the Ugandan Olympian in petrol and setting her ablaze.
On September 14, 2024, she was buried at Bukwo District, Uganda.
Mueni Mwalimu was found dead on August 7, just hours after she had asked for permission from her boss saying that she needed to rush her child to hospital.
Mueni Mwalimu, the mother of two who was found murdered in Nakuru.
Mwalimu, 34, who worked as a banker at Cooperative Bank Nakuru, secured permission and headed home.
The body was found in a maize plantation located not far from her home.
The ears and right thumb were missing. The body had deep stab wounds in the head and face.
A post-mortem report later detailed the chopping of the ears. Mueni was alive when it happened.
Shocked family and friends are asking questions as detectives begin piecing together clues on the motive of the murder, and why the killers wanted the body parts.
In October alone, more than 20 cases of murder have so far been documented across the country.
British golfer John Middleton was found brutally murdered at his Utange house in Mombasa City on the Kenyan Coast and a machete found next to the body. The farm tool is believed to have been used to kill him.
Police in Kakamega County are also investigating the discovery of a headless body in a maize plantation. It was later identified as 53-year-old Arnota Luchende. She was last seen on October 6, after leaving her home the day before.
Her brother reported her disappearance before her mutilated body was found in a neighbouring field.
Vivian Kajaya, a 22-year-old student at Mt Kenya University, was found dead in a maize plantation in Kiamunyi, Nakuru County, on October 15, and preliminary investigations indicate that she was also a victim of murder and rape.
On October 20, 2023, Faith Adongo, a first-year student at Pwani University, was stabbed multiple times while heading home after a fresher's night event. She succumbed to her injuries at to Kilifi District Hospital.
In another case in Kajiado, James Nyaata Onchiri, 62 years old and an advocate in Kajiado County, was seen on October 21, together with his office messenger Erick Ondiek at the Kajiado Public Works Canteen in a motor vehicle registration number KBQ 488P Mitsubishi pick-up before his body was discovered the following morning.
On Sunday, a decomposing body of a male adult was discovered in Lake Yahud in Wajir County where two family members said it belongs to their kin. The condition of the body prompted the DNA test to establish the identity.
On Thursday, two Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers were arrested over the brutal murder of University of Nairobi student Mercy Kwamboka, whose mutilated body was found three weeks ago in a thicket in Nairobi’s Mwiki area.
LSK Council member Hosea Manwa faulted the police for failing in their duty to protect Kenyans.
He said that the recent killings were a clear indication that insecurity had become rampant and even after such reports are made in most cases the suspects are never apprehended.
“We have many unsolved murders, the DCI officers should ensure that they speed up investigations and the police should as well protect Kenyans,” he said.
Haki Afrika boss Hussein Khalid on Friday October 25 condemned the killings saying that there has been an upsurge in violent crimes in the country.
According to him some of the murder cases can be linked to family differences, misunderstandings and lack of faith in the justice system.
“Some people can take law into their own hands because they do not trust the judiciary to help them get justice,” he said.
Mr Khalid wondered that ever since the bodies in Yala River were discovered up to date no one had been arrested. In addition, he also spoke of the Kware incident where the main suspect escaped lawful custody.
“The police should prove that they are working with making sure that they make arrests,” he said.
Speaking to the Nation Africa, Demas Kiprono, Deputy Executive Director, ICJ Kenya said that the recent wave of disappearances and mysterious killings has left many Kenyans deeply concerned about their safety.
“Since the adoption of the new Constitution and the establishment of a Police Commission, alongside enhanced police oversight and an independent command structure, we have made strides toward building a police service committed to safeguarding the rights and security of all Kenyans,” said Mr Kiprono.
He added that the government and police authorities must take swift action to reassure Kenyans of their safety, thoroughly investigate these cases, and prosecute those responsible.
He wondered why after seven years of the passage of the National Coroners Service Act, there has been a lack of an operational coroner’s office which has remained a significant gap.
“A functioning coroner's service would be instrumental in investigating these unexplained deaths, providing transparency and accountability that are critical in times like these,” he said. “The recent, gruesome murders of women in our country, including the cases of a woman from Ngong and a mother, her daughter, and niece—all in a day—are acts we condemn in the strongest terms possible.”
On his part, Mr Micheal Kuria, the head of communications at Vocal Africa, said that they were gravely concerned by the rising violence against women and the specific, horrifying patterns seen in these cases: brutal head injuries, broken limbs, gouged eyes, and missing body parts.
He said the commonality of these injuries across multiple cases raises significant alarm and calls for immediate and decisive action from law enforcement. The fear now gripping communities is unacceptable, and justice must be swift and thorough.
“We urge the authorities to not only intensify their investigations but also to commit resources to curb this growing trend of violent crimes against women. These heinous acts are not isolated incidents; they reflect a broader crisis of gender-based violence that demands urgent attention and a clear plan from our justice and security sectors,” said Mr Kuria.
He added that they stand with the victims and their families. As a human rights organization, we will continue to push for accountability and advocate for a society where women are safe and free from fear. We urge all community members to join in condemning this violence, supporting efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice, and creating a culture that respects and protects all lives.”
