Father Of Top KCPE Student Beheaded In Tharaka Nithi
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Gitumi Mwithi who sat for KCPE at Karou Primary School and scored 400 marks may have his dream of continuing with his education cut short after his father was beheaded over alleged ancestral land ownership conflict.
Gitumi who was placed at Starehe Boys’ Centre was supposed to pick his admission letter but his father, Julius Mwithi was murdered as he sought money for transport to Nairobi.
The deceased’s wife, Grace Gakethi narrates that five family members; two men and three women came to their home at around 8 pm and pretended that they had come to amicably solve a 20-acre piece of land dispute which has an active case in court.
Before they even sat down, they knocked the 60-year-old man down hacking him to death.
Ms Gakethi said she was in the house and dashed out screaming when they started hacking her husband . They went after her but turned back after some neighbors started calling to inquire what the problem could be.
“The villagers responded in big numbers but by the time they arrived, my husband had already been killed and his killers vanished into the darkness,” Ms Gakethi said.
Mr Evans Kibaaro, the deceased’s son said the land conflict started a long time ago after their grandfather died and the alleged suspects together with their father, Samuel Mugao who also died several years ago, vowed to take the whole 20 acres.
He said after the suspects sensing his late father went to court and that the ruling was likely to order for sharing of the land, they started threatening to kill them all.
“We are worried because they killed my father as they have been threatening and we don’t know who the next victim will be,” said Mr Kibaaro.
He said after the incident, they noted that the suspects had sold all their livestock probably in readiness for the murder.
Kibaaro is now appealing to Starehe Boys’ High School administration to reserve his brother’s vacancy and if possible, allow him to report late or even without fees.
Tharaka South Sub- County police commander Margaret Magiri confirmed the murder incident which occurred on Monday at around 8 pm and said police had launched a manhunt for the suspects.
The body of the deceased was taken toMarimanti Level Four Hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem.
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