Police Arrest Man For Murdering Employer With Machete six weeks After Starting Work

Police Arrest Man For Murdering Employer With Machete six weeks After Starting Work

Detectives have apprehended a man 20 months after he killed his employer in Murang’a County, Kenya.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) announced on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, that the suspect, Fred Cheluba Murunga, was arrested at a security firm in another town where he was seeking employment.

Fred had worked for the deceased for only six weeks before hacking him to death with a machete, according to the DCI’s statement.

“The proverbial fortieth day of a murder suspect believed to have slain his 63-year-old employer in Murang’a on 22nd September 2022 has finally dawned after over 20 months of evasion, causing the affected family immense grief as they sought justice for their kin,” the statement read.

“Before the incident, Fred Cheluba Murunga had worked as the deceased’s farmhand for one and a half months, staying at his home in Kerandi village, Kigumo, Murang’a County.

“On the fateful morning, the suspect sent a 12-year-old grandchild of the late Mzee Paul Njuguna Kamau to a nearby shop. While the boy was away, Fred attacked his employer with a machete.

“The child returned to find his grandfather locked in the kitchen, crying out in pain. The rest of the family was away, and the boy had visited to get breakfast for the elderly man.

“The minor raised the alarm, attracting the villagers’ attention. Together with local police, they broke into the kitchen and found Mzee’s lifeless, blood-soaked body beside the suspected murder weapon, a machete.

“Angry neighbors searched for Cheluba in vain. Both he and the deceased’s motorcycle and mobile phone were missing.

“Kigumo DCI officers launched a manhunt for the killer farmhand. Preliminary investigations showed that the stolen motorbike and phone were sold in Eldoret.

“Despite diminishing hope for the affected family, detectives remained focused and put the suspect on police radar, seeking help from DCI HQS Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB).

“Following crucial intelligence leads, CRIB detectives yesterday apprehended the murder suspect at a security firm in Ruiru where he was seeking employment.”