Police in Nakuru have arrested Zachariah Wanjohi in connection with the brutal murder of his wife, 23-year-old Hannah Waithera, an M-Pesa agent whose decomposed body was discovered days after she was reported missing.
Waithera, who operated a mobile money outlet in Nakuru’s central business district, was last seen on Wednesday of the previous week as she left her shop to deposit over Ksh.250,000 at a local bank. She never returned, prompting her concerned family to report her disappearance to Nakuru Central Police Station.
A major breakthrough in the investigation came on Wednesday afternoon when Wanjohi’s family was summoned to Kaptembwa Police Station in Nakuru West. Authorities informed them that a decomposed body found two days earlier in a plantation at Technology Farm had been positively identified as Waithera. Her phone had last been traced to the Kijabe area, further deepening suspicions around her sudden disappearance.
Before his arrest, Wanjohi had spoken to the press, claiming he was unaware of his wife’s whereabouts. “I called her, but she didn’t pick up. I went to her workplace, and they said she had left around 1 p.m. and hadn’t been seen since. I searched for her and even asked a police officer friend to trace her phone,” he said.
However, Waithera’s family says the days following her disappearance were marred by police harassment. According to her mother, Mary Njeri, officers raided their home aggressively even after the family had given their statements.
“They harassed us violently. Before we got home, they were already there. They opened our car, grabbed a bag, and one officer hit someone. A female officer pulled a pistol on us and confiscated all our phones,” Njeri recounted.
As investigations continue, the community remains in shock over the tragic loss of a young entrepreneur and questions mount over the circumstances of her death. Police have yet to reveal a motive, but Wanjohi remains in custody as authorities piece together the events that led to Waithera’s untimely death.
