A 13-year-old boy who witnessed the killing of his grandmother in Meru County could now be a key witness after detectives arrested a man suspected of carrying out the attack.
Sixty-five-year-old Evelyne Mukiri Mbaabu was killed at her home in Kithoka, Imenti East Sub-county, on August 7, 2026.
The elderly woman was preparing supper with her grandson when a man they did not know entered the compound and walked into the kitchen.
The man reportedly asked for drinking water before the situation took a deadly turn.
The boy soon heard his grandmother scream for help. When he rushed to the kitchen, he found her lying in a pool of blood.
The attacker then allegedly struck the boy on the hand with a panga before fleeing.
Mbaabu was taken to Grace Park Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
After weeks of forensic analysis and intelligence-led investigations, detectives from the CCIO’s Office and DCI Imenti North traced and arrested Solomon Kathurima Kairemia on September 21.
By the time detectives found him, Kairemia had reportedly abandoned his house and was spending his nights hiding in thickets located only a few metres from his residence.
Detectives recovered a blood-stained panga during the arrest, which has since been preserved as an exhibit for forensic examination.
Kairemia was also subjected to a police identification parade, where detectives said he was positively identified as the man behind the attack.
He was later taken to the Meru Law Courts, where investigators secured a 14-day custodial order to allow them to conclude their investigations.
The DCI said it remains committed to establishing the motive and circumstances of Mbaabu’s death and bringing anyone found culpable to justice.
