An 18-year-old Form Four student was brutally killed at her family home in Molo, Nakuru County, in an incident that has left residents shocked.
Joy Wangui, a student at Molo Secondary School, was found dead inside the family house in Kiambaa area, Moto Location, after her brother briefly left home to visit a nearby shop.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the brother returned to find Wangui lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen, with her head severed from her body.
Detectives who visited the scene recovered an axe, a panga and two knives, all bearing bloodstains, which were taken as evidence.
Wangui’s head was later found in a corridor inside the house.
Investigators also reported finding a message allegedly written on a wall using blood, reading: “I love you Joy but never cheat, am sorry.”
The horrific killing triggered a manhunt for the suspect, identified as 23-year-old Walter Kipkoech.
The DCI on Tuesday said detectives from Molo, working with officers from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) at the Regional Criminal Investigations Headquarters, Rift Valley, traced Kipkoech to a hideout in Lagwenda village, Kuresoi North.
He was arrested and taken to Molo Police Station, where he is being processed pending arraignment.
At the time of his arrest, detectives said Kipkoech was wearing a blood-stained boxer, a white T-shirt bearing Wangui’s name at the hem and black jeans with visible dry blood stains.
Preliminary investigations have identified Kipkoech as Wangui’s boyfriend, with detectives pursuing a possible relationship dispute as part of their investigations into the motive.
However, police have yet to establish the full circumstances that led to the student’s death.
The arrest marks a major breakthrough in the investigation as detectives continue piecing together what happened before and after the killing.
The DCI has condoled with Wangui’s family and vowed to establish all the circumstances surrounding her death.
The agency said whoever is found responsible will face the full force of the law.
