Eight hacked to death in horror attacks by gang

Eight people were killed in a shocking weekend spree of violence, which has left police in Meru baffled.

The victims were hacked, stabbed or had their throats slit in a string of attacks that the police say they cannot explain.

Two others are fighting for their lives at the Nkubu District Hospital following the Saturday night attacks.

Throats slit

The killings occurred in Karindine Village in Imenti Central District and Kigane village of Imenti South district.

Six of the eight victims had their throats slit and all of them had stab wounds in the chest. Police said the executions were carried out in a span of two hours.

The first raid was carried out in Kigane village where at least four men wielding swords accosted Mr Jacob Mutua M’Ithinji, 40, his brother Mr Lawrence Kirimi, 30, and a primary school teacher Jacob Mutua and Mr James Muthomi.

They were stabbed in the chest and head. The gang slit the throats of Mr Mutua and Mr Gatobu in the 9 pm attack while Mr Mutua’s body was thrown into Kambathina River.

Villagers said Mr Gatobu and Mr Kirimi were also killed at the same spot.

The same gang appears to have moved to the next village, Karindine, where they killed another four people and dumped their bodies on the road.

Imenti Central police boss Silvestre Kithungo, quoting a boda boda rider, said the bodies were scattered within a radius of 50 metres in pools of blood.

“A boda boda rider came here at around 11pm and said he had spotted two bodies lying by the roadside. All the bodies had stab wounds on the left side of the chest. What shocked us is that their throats had been slit,” he said.

He gave the names of the dead as Joseph Bundi, Geofrey Muchui, Boniface Koome and another one only known as Yussuf, all aged between 20 and 30 years.

He said police do not know the motives of the attack nor do they have any idea who was responsible for them.

But the victims appeared to have been killed in the same way and there could be a link between the attacks, the police boss said.

He said they were unable to piece together the motive or the identity of the gang since nobody had volunteered any information.

“The modus operandi in Imenti South is the same as the one here. Maybe it’s the same group,” said Mr Githungo.

Imenti South DC Dominic Musyoka said security agents were shocked by the attacks.

Leave no stone unturned

“The attack is still mysterious to us and were are yet to establish the motive. We will leave no stone unturned. If it was some differences between the victims and the attackers, we will unearth what happened,” he promised.

The survivors in hospital were identified as Mr Eric Bundi and Mr Phenius Mutugil.

“Mr Mutugi said he was accosted by three people who ordered him to surrender his phone and cash. Before he could produce them, the three stabbed him in the stomach but he managed to escape,” said a hospital source.

Eastern PC Claire Omollo later visited the area and promised immediate government action.

Deputy police spokesman Charles Wahong’o said preliminary investigation showed the killers could have been on a revenge mission.

Mr Wahong’o said: “We are getting very good leads from the public. They have given us information and we are hoping to make a breakthrough.”

According to Mr Jamleck Kimathi, a brother of Mr Gatobu and Mr Kirimi who were both killed, the killings at Kigane were carried out within 30 minutes.

“We heard screams and informed that one of my brothers Gatobu had been killed. On reaching the spot, I was informed that the body of yet another of my brothers Kirimi was about 100metres away,” he told the Nation as mourners gathered and started making burial arrangements.

He said Mr Gatobu’s pockets had been turned inside out indicating the thugs stole from him.

Mr Kimathi said his brother was a dedicated member of the Nkubu Methodist church choir and had delayed coming home since he had attended a choir practice.