Detectives from Kisii South and Busia have made a breakthrough in the murder of Seth Nyakio Njeri following the arrest of a suspect, Ken Kimanthi Gichunuku, alias “Sultan”.
In a statement on Saturday, December 13, 2025, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said Kimanthi had been on the run since the murder.
Nyakio’s lifeless body was discovered on October 14, 2024, inside Blessings Building in Biafra Estate, Thika town, triggering an intensive manhunt.
She was found murdered in a rented room in Thika, where she had travelled to visit a friend.
On the Sunday before her death, Nyakio shared a photo of herself with friends and later requested Sh1,000 from her mother, who promptly sent the money.
The following day, Nyakio was found dead, with a post-mortem confirming strangulation as the cause of death. Preliminary investigations also revealed that she had been sexually assaulted.
During Nyakio’s burial in October 2024, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru said the daily killings of young people across the country must be stopped.
“We are very concerned about the high level of femicide in our country. We must put these killings to a stop. We should not be losing our young people to crime and femicide,” she said.
Nyakio’s mother, a nominated MCA in Kirinyaga, described her daughter as “lovable, charming and deeply respectful”.
An autopsy further revealed bruises on the neck, cheeks, thighs and other parts of the body, indicating that she likely fought her attacker.
An ex-boyfriend was initially named by police as a possible suspect in the murder.
“Following the heinous act, the suspect went underground in a bid to evade arrest,” the DCI said.
However, sustained investigations and forensic leads eventually closed in on him.
Detectives arrested Gichunuku on Saturday, December 13, 2025, in Busia town near the Kenya–Uganda border, where he had been working at a cereal distribution shop while hiding in plain sight.
The suspect is currently in custody, undergoing processing ahead of arraignment.
