Fresh details emerge on murder of Kiru Boys principal Solomon Mwangi

Ms Jane Muthoni, a suspect in the murder of her husband, Mr Solomon Mwangi, who was a principal of Kiru Boys Secondary School, is arraigned in Nakuru on March 5, 2019 for the proceeding of the case. PHOTO | JOHN NJOROGE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Inspector Mwangi established that Ms Muthoni had been in constant communication with three other people between November 4 and 6, 2016.
  • Mr Kariuki, a suspect, told the police that his accomplice, Mr Ng’ang'a, had taken the principal’s sports shoes after they killed him.

Ms Jane Muthoni, the main suspect in the murder of Mr Solomon Mwangi, her husband and former Kiru Boys principal, was with her husband prior to his death.

Police Inspector Clement Mwangi on Thursday testified before Nakuru High Court Judge Joel Ngugi that Ms Muthoni, her husband and two other suspects - Mr Isaac Ng'ang'a and Mr Joseph Njuguna Kariuki - were together at Witeithia in Urithi, Kiambu County, on the day Mr Mwangi was killed.

Inspector Mwangi said phone call data analyses corroborated Mr Kariuki's testimony that four people were involved in the killing. Mr Kariuki turned State-witness after admitting his role in the crime.

COMPLICIT

Mr Kariuki, alias Karis, who is serving a seven-year jail term after pleading guilty to manslaughter, said they were with Mr Ng’anga’, alias Gikuyu, who tied a rope around principal Mwangi’s neck before they jointly dragged him out of the vehicle that was being driven by Ms Muthoni.

Inspector Mwangi added that Ms Muthoni, who had travelled with her husband from Murang'a to Gatundu in Kiambu on November 6, 2016, received an SMS message from Mr Kariuki while at Mukurue - where the body was recovered.

"On the November 6, 2016, Mr Mwangi, Ms Muthoni, Mr Kariuki and Mr Ng’ang’a were at Witeithie near Urithi. We believe they were all involved in one way or the other in the killing of the principal," the officer said.

Mr Mwangi, who is based at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters in Nairobi, said he took over the case from Mr Japheth Mainge, who runs the department in Murang'a, on November 16.

CONSPIRACY
In his preliminary investigations, he established that Ms Muthoni had been in constant communication with three other people between November 4 and 6, 2016.

According to him, Ms Muthoni, a former headmistress of Icaciri Secondary School in Gatundu, travelled to Kiru Boys High School in Kiria-ini, Muranga County, on November 4 and met her husband at around 8pm.

Another suspect, Mr Nelson Njiru, who is still at large, and claimed to be the chief coordinator of the plot, also travelled to Murang’a the same day. They met at night between 10pm and 2pm at Kiria-ini.

The detective said Mr Njiru would immediately communicate to Mr Kariuki and Mr Ng’ang’a after talking to Ms Muthoni.

On November 6, despite being in Embu, Mr Njiru was in constant communication with the three who were at Urithi.

EVIDENCE
Mr Ng’anga was arrested on November 25, 2016 at his house in Gatundu and was taken to Gigiri police station. Then things took an interesting turn.

After the police were allowed to hold him for two more weeks to conclude investigations, they decided to take him back to his house so that he could remove the gumboots and put on something else.

"His wife brought him sport shoes which coincidentally belonged to the deceased person, but at the police station he claimed they were his," Inspector Mwangi said.

Mr Kariuki was arrested on December 12, 2016 while he was asleep in his home. Police recovered a YU mobile phone line which had been chewed up.

Upon investigating, they discovered it was registered in his name and was the one used in communicating with Ms Muthoni.

CONFESSION
Upon further prodding, he confessed his role in the murder.

"Mr Kariuki gave a detailed account of the murder plot, starting from June 2016 to the date of his arrest. His testimony corroborated with the communication data analyses that we had," the detective said.

Mr Kariuki told the police that Mr Ng’ang'a had taken the principal’s sports shoes after they killed him.

He identified the shoes booked at Gigiri police station as belonging to Mr Ng’ang’a.

Additionally, the police were able to establish that one of the teachers at Kiru Boys, Mr Benard Karuiya, was the one who sold the shoes to principal Mwangi.

Ms Muthoni has been charged alongside Mr Ng’ang'a with the murder, which took place at Karakuta Coffee Estate in Juja, Kiambu County; they denied the charge. The case proceeds on June 4.