Body of murdered Baringo woman discovered in snake infested thicket

By , K24 Digital
On Thu, 25 Nov, 2021 10:57 | 2 mins read
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A police vehicle. PHOTO/File.

Police based in Mogotio, Baringo County have exhumed the decomposing remains of Veronicah Kanini, 42, from a shallow grave at a secluded snake infested thicket, along the river that drains its waters into Lake Baringo.

According to DCI, the sleuths were led to the scene of the murder by her suspected killer, Moses Kipchirchir Ruto, 34.

Prior to her death, Kanini was a well-known trader who sold seat covers in Mogotio town and would travel from her home in Nakuru every morning to sell her merchandise before returning in the evening.

“She would first take measurements of her clients’ seats, travel to Nakuru and tailor make them to their specifications, before delivering them in Mogotio, 42 kilometres away. This was her trend for the past 3 years,” DCI said.

DCI further reveal that on the day she met her painful death, Kanini telephoned her husband Marco Njuguna at around 6pm, asking him to send Ksh3,000 urgently.

As Njuguna inquired from her why she needed the money, the keen husband allegedly heard a male voice in the background instructing her to speak in Swahili.

“This unfolding’s exasperated the already worried man, who immediately set off for Mogotio in search of his beloved wife, while Kanini on the other hand called two neighbours who sent her an unspecified amount of money,” DCI said.

Detectives immediately launched investigations into the whereabouts of the missing woman after her husband reported the matter to them.

However, after failing to trace Kanini in Mogotio town that night, the DCIO contacted crime busters from the elite Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau based at DCI headquarters, to help unravel the puzzle.

The main suspect into the murder, Moses Kipchirchir Ruto, was busted after detectives stormed his house under the cover of darkness.

“The suspect, who had earlier denied being involved in the woman’s disappearance, confessed to killing Kanini by strangling her on Friday night and left her body at the scene of the murder, before returning the following morning at dawn carrying a jembe,” DCI said.

It is alleged Ruto used the jembe to dig the shallow grave where he buried her remains.

Preliminary investigations, conducted by cybercrime and crime scene experts, have placed Ruto at the scene of Kanini’s grievous murder.

Meanwhile, Kanini’s body has been moved to Nakuru municipal mortuary pending post-mortem.

Custodial orders had earlier been issued at the Eldama Ravine Law Courts, granting detectives 14 days to complete investigations into the murder.