By Dorothy Musyoka
19-year-old Ezekiel Sakwa Mwangi, also known as Kwame, has been arraigned before the Nakuru High Court on four counts of murder.
Mwangi, who is linked to a series of brutal crimes in Rongai sub-county, was arrested on August 18, 2024, following an intensive investigation by detectives.
According to the detectives, the suspect’s alleged crime spree unfolded between July and August 2024, leaving the community in shock and grief.
Mwangi is accused of sexually assaulting and murdering four women, including a five-year-old girl, in a string of horrific attacks.
“The investigation uncovered a gruesome timeline of events spanning from July to August 2024. Mwangi is suspected to have sexually assaulted and murdered four women, including a minor,” stated the DCI.
The grim sequence of events began on July 13, 2024, when the body of young Alice Ayuma was discovered in a maize plantation in the Mwangaza area.
Her lifeless form bore signs of a brutal assault, and a rungu was found at the scene. Just weeks later, on August 5, Virginia Njeri Mwangi was found murdered at the Menengai prayer cave, her body similarly marked by violence.
“The horror began on July 13, 2024, when five-year-old Alice Ayuma was found dead in a maize plantation in the Mwangaza area, her body bearing the marks of a brutal assault with a rungu. The violence continued on August 5, 2024, when Virginia Njeri Mwangi met a similar fate at the Menengai prayer cave,” explained the DCI.
The next day, Florence Mueni Mwalimu, aged 34, was tragically killed in Kalyet village, and her body was left in a nearby bush.
The killing spree reached its devastating conclusion on August 7, when Vellah Moraa Mogambi was fatally attacked along the railway line at Baraka Estate.
“The following day, in Kalyet village, 34-year-old Florence Mueni Mwalimu was struck down, and her body discarded in a bush. The killing spree culminated on August 7, 2024, along the railway line at Baraka Estate, where Vellah Moraa Mogambi was attacked and fatally wounded,” added the DCI.
Following his arrest, Mwangi was initially arraigned at the Molo Law Courts on August 19, 2024 where the court granted detectives a 30-day period to intensify their investigations, a task that was swiftly taken over by homicide detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters.
When Mwangi appeared before the Nakuru High Court, he pleaded not guilty to all charges and requested to be released on bond.
The application was strongly opposed by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), citing the severity of the crimes and the risk to public safety. The case is set for mention on October 15, 2024.
The DCI has reiterated its commitment to tackling violence against women and children and urges the public to report any cases of gender-based violence to the authorities.