Maragua: Residents of Maragua town in Murang'a County reacted with shock after the body of a 60-year-old woman, Elizabeth Wamaitha, who went missing on Sunday was discovered dumped in Mariiki Dam. The granny, who had been missing for four days, is the grandmother to a three-year-old girl, Elizabeth Wamaitha, who was brutally defiled and murdered in the same area in April this year.
According to Kenya News Agency, Wamaitha's killing has sparked fears of possible targeted attacks on the family which stays on the outskirts of Maragua town. Her children, Veronica Njeri and Festus Mwangi, wept as they recounted their mother's inexplicable disappearance and called on anyone with grievances against the family to come forward peacefully. 'We are devastated. It feels like someone is targeting our family. We don't know who we may have wronged, but we plead with them to come out and speak instead of killing our loved ones one by one,' lamented Njeri.
Local residents said the killings were part of a disturbing trend in the area where women and children are subjected to violence unfairly. Margaret Wamaitha, a resident of Maragua town, expressed outrage saying, 'This is not the first time. Women and children here are being defiled, raped, and murdered, and the culprits go scot-free. We cannot continue living in fear like this!' Another resident, Charles Wachira, echoed the concern, highlighting rising insecurity in the area. 'If you are lucky to escape death, you don't escape being hacked with knives and robbed. This insecurity is getting out of hand,' Wachira said, calling local security officers to beef up security in the entire Maragua sub-county.
The discovery of Wamaitha's body comes amid growing public concern that the Maragua area is becoming a hotspot for violent crimes. In recent months, locals have reported increased cases of muggings, assaults, and mysterious disappearances, with many incidents going unresolved. Confirming the incident, Maragua Assistant County Commissioner Joshua Okello said police are exploring probable family disputes as a possible motive behind the murders. 'At this point, we suspect the deaths might be family-linked or connected to family issues. A postmortem will be carried out to establish the exact cause of death,' Okello stated.
Community leaders have now called for urgent police patrols, improved surveillance around Mariiki Dam, and thorough investigations to restore public confidence. The chilling incident has left residents living in fear, with many demanding that perpetrators of the crimes be brought to book to end what they describe as a cycle of bloodshed.