Detectives in Meru County have arrested the prime suspect man behind the murder of 65-year-old Evelyne Mukiri Mbaabu, who was fatally attacked inside her home in Kithoka, Imenti East Sub-county.
According to an official press release shared by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Monday, September 28, 2026, the detective confirmed that the incident occurred on the evening of August 7, 2026, while the elderly victim was preparing supper in her kitchen alongside her 13-year-old grandson.
The police report issued by the DCI states that Kairemia entered the compound and walked into the kitchen under the guise of asking for drinking water.
Moments later, he launched a sudden attack on the grandmother, prompting her to scream for help.
The 13-year-old boy rushed into the kitchen, where he was met with the scene of his grandmother lying in a pool of blood.
Kairemia turned on the young boy, striking him on the hand with a panga before fleeing the scene into the night.
Family members and neighbors rushed the elderly victim to Grace Park Hospital, where medical personnel pronounced her dead on arrival.
DCI Identifies Prime Suspect Man in Fatal Attack on 65-Year-Old Meru Woman
Following weeks of forensic analysis and intelligence-led tracking by detectives from the County Criminal Investigation Office (CCIO) and DCI Imenti North, officers traced the suspect on September 21, 2026.
Investigators identified the suspect as Solomon Kathurima Kairemia, who had abandoned his home and resorted to sleeping in nearby thickets just meters from his residence to evade arrest.
During the operation, sleuths recovered a blood-stained panga hidden in the bushes, securing the weapon as a primary forensic exhibit for police testing.
The DCI also conducted a formal police identification parade, during which the suspect was positively identified as the assailant behind the home invasion.
Detectives presented Kairemia before the Meru Law Courts, where investigators secured a 14-day custodial order to complete forensic examinations and establish the motive behind the murder before formal charging.
