Residents of Gachugi village in Gatundu North, Kiambu county, are in shock after four men were murdered on Monday night.
The four Patrick Nguku Wambui, Laban Mwathi, Earnest Muigai and another only identified as Irungu, a casual labourer in the village, are said to have been on their way home when they were attacked. The motive has not been established.
The attackers only aimed at their heads. Villagers found the bodies lying several metres apart.
Another victim identified as Tobias Wanyonyi escaped with head injuries and was rushed to Igegania Level 4 Hospital where he was treated and discharged.
A shaken Wanyonyi said his attacker accosted him as he was heading to shop at Ngorongo centre and asked for Sh10 from him.
“I told him I didn’t have the money and he didn’t utter any other word. He hit me with a blunt object on my right side of the head but I managed to escape even though I was in excruciating pain and almost losing consciousness,” Wanyonyi said.
Police in Gatundu North are yet to establish the weapon that was used in the horrific 9pm attack.
"Their heads had been smashed with what we suspect is a metal rod or an axe. At first, we thought it was a hit and run accident when we saw the first victim but later discovered three others along the road. The entire village is in shock," resident James Mwangi said.
The residents say the attack was executed silently since the victims did not raise distress calls.
"There was no commotion at all. Alarm was raised by residents who discovered the bodies. We are in fear because the motive of the killings is not yet known. Nothing was stolen from the victims," Mwangi said.
Leah Wangari, a mother of four whose husband was murdered, told journalists that one of her sons received a call informing him that his father had been knocked by a vehicle and was lying by the roadside bleeding profusely.
“I rushed there but first saw a body lying by the roadside but he was not my husband. Just a few metres away I found my husband’s body lying near a fence. He had bled a lot and was already dead,” Wangari said.
She called on the authorities to speed up investigations and bring the culprit(s) who took her husband’s life to book.
This is the second incident in a span of one month where residents in the village have been attacked. Early last month a middle-aged man was attacked and killed by unknown people.
The residents said that cases of insecurity have been on an increase in the village and other neighbouring villages including Kairi, Ngorongo, Kagambwa and Gatono.
"The daring criminals are breaking into homes and stealing house appliances, livestock and even farm produce. We are not safe at all and we are worried that the culprits might even attack and harm our children especially now that they are on holiday," resident Juliana Wanjiku said.
They called for increased security in the villages.
"We want the police to thoroughly investigate this matter and apprehend the criminals who took the lives of innocent residents. Also, we want them to increase night patrols and flush out criminals from our villages, resident Mary Waithera said.
The residents also pleaded with local leaders led by Gatundu North MP Elijah Njoroge to instal security lights in the villages to boost security.
A contingent of security officers, led by Kiambu county commissioner Joshua Nkanatha and the county police commander Perminus Kioi, visited the village as investigations started.
Kioi said one suspect has been arrested and is being quizzed to establish the motive and whether the killings were perpetrated by a lone or many attackers.
He also said that autopsy reports on the deceased will aid in the investigations and help establish the weapons used in the incident.
MP Njoroge urged Interior CS Kithure Kindiki to deploy more police officers to the subcounty to enhance security and restore normalcy in villages that are most affected by insecurity cases.
“We want more officers because Gatundu North has very few officers and criminals are taking advantage of this. Again, we need more vehicles to facilitate patrols in the villages and assure residents of their security,” Njoroge said.
The MP also urged residents to embrace peace and unity and always consider following legal procedures in solving their disputes instead of harming each other.
