Police in Molo have arrested a 23-year-old man suspected of brutally murdering an 18-year-old Form Four student in a shocking incident that has left residents of Kiambaa area, Moto Location, in Molo, Nakuru County, stunned.
The suspect, identified as Walter Kipkoech, was arrested after detectives mounted a sustained manhunt following the killing of Joy Wangui, a Form Four student at Molo Secondary School, whose body was discovered inside a house in Kiambaa.
According to preliminary police investigations, Kipkoech fled immediately after the incident and went into hiding. Detectives from Molo, working alongside officers from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) at the Regional Criminal Investigations Headquarters in the Rift Valley, eventually traced him to a hideout in Lagwenda village, Kuresoi North.
The horrific discovery was made after Wangui’s brother briefly left the house to visit a nearby shop. Upon returning, he reportedly found his sister lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen, with her head severed from her body.
Detectives who responded to the scene recovered several weapons believed to have been used in the killing, including an axe, a panga and two knives. The weapons were reportedly found near the body with visible bloodstains.
The victim’s head was later recovered in a corridor. Investigators also found a message allegedly written on a wall using blood, reading: “I love you Joy but never cheat, am sorry.”
Preliminary investigations indicate that Kipkoech was the deceased’s boyfriend, with detectives pursuing a possible relationship dispute as part of their investigations into the motive behind the killing.
Police say the suspect was arrested while wearing a blood-stained boxer, a white T-shirt bearing the deceased’s name at the hem and black jeans with visible dry blood stains.
A senior detective involved in the investigations said the arrest followed painstaking efforts to trace the suspect after he disappeared from the area.
“We have arrested the suspect and are now working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the killing. We will ensure that all available evidence is subjected to forensic examination as investigations continue,” the detective said.
Kipkoech was escorted to Molo Police Station, where he is being processed pending arraignment. Detectives are continuing to piece together the events surrounding Wangui’s death as they prepare the case for prosecution.
