Nyeri: Court detains man accused of paying attackers Ksh.160K to kill his son

Stephen Wangondu Kinini, a man accused of hiring attackers to murder his 32-year-old son in Nyeri, will remain in police custody for five more days pending conclusion of investigations into the matter.

Wangondu and five other suspects; Geoffrey Waturi, Eddy Kariuki Ngari, Charity Muchiri, James Mahinda Mwangi and Raphael Wachira were arraigned before Nyeri Principal Magistrate Mathias Okuche on Friday where the prosecution asked for more time to detain them as investigations continue.

Raphael Wachira, who has been on the run, was arrested on Thursday in Nairobi’s pipeline area.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Stephen Wangondu Kinini paid the attackers Ksh.160,000 to kill his son, Daniel Mwangi Wang’ondu.

The body of Mwangi, a businessman at Mweiga town in Nyeri, was found in a pool of blood at the gate to his house in Wendiga village in the wee hours of Jan 1, 2021.

According to investigators, the motive behind the murder was unclear at the time since nothing had been stolen from him or his house, and even his car was still at the crime scene.

The first suspect, James Mahinda Mwangi, a driver to the father of the deceased, was traced to Nairobi’s Githurai area where he was arrested on Saturday, February 20, 2021.

Upon interrogation, he led officers to Matakani area in Embu where two other suspects, Geoffrey Waturi and Eddy Kariuki Ngari, were also arrested and the trio escorted to the RCIO’s offices in Nyeri.

Further investigations established that the three long-time friends had been hired by the deceased’s father, Stephen Wang’ondu Kinini, in December 2020 to murder his son at Ksh.160,000 fee following a family feud.

The detectives said Wang’ondu had given his driver (Mahinda) a facilitation fee of Ksh.20,000 instructing him to form a team that would execute the crime.

Mahinda then proceeded to Embu on December 31 where he picked up his accomplices and briefed them on their target, his residence, movements and car.

Once in Mweiga, they purchased the murder weapon at a local hardware store, which they then used to kill the father of two reportedly in the dead of the night.

The fourth suspect identified as Charity Muchiri would later be arrested in connection with the heinous plan.