The latest upsurge in murders and vicious assault cases in Kisii and Nyamira counties has set alarm bells ringing as residents try to get to grips with the loss of loved ones.
Lucrative but controversial property sales, succession disputes, land fraud and marital conflicts have been cited as some of the reasons behind murders in the region.
The latest case was that of a teacher in Nyamira, whose murder police believe could be linked to the killing of a US-based nurse, whose body was dumped at Konate in Nyamira on the night of September 14, 2021.
The nurse’s body was dumped at the junction of the Kisii-Chemosit and Nyamira-Kebirigo highways, about six kilometres from Nyamira town.
It was later identified as that of Thomas Magwamu, a resident of Gucha sub-county in Kisii.After dumping the nurse’s body, the suspect is said to have relocated to near Egesieri Primary School, where the head teacher, Ezekile Nkeere Gitangwa, 47, was killed two weeks ago.
Gitangwa was allegedly murdered by a female nurse, 33, and her boyfriend, 30, and his body hidden in one of the rooms late last month.
Investigations have revealed that the nurse and teacher were putting up properties worth millions of shillings in the area. Before his killing, the teacher is said to have accessed a bank loan to the tune of Sh2.5 million.
Nyamira Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) chief, Peter Kiboro, told journalists that detectives discovered suspicious transactions that saw money moved from Gitangwa’s bank account using his mobile phone.
Detectives further said they suspect whoever made the withdrawals took a cut before transferring the rest to the suspected killers.
