A sombre mood engulfed Meru County on Friday as family, friends, and residents gathered to lay to rest the late Daniel Muthiani, popularly known as Sniper, nearly two years after his gruesome murder.
Muthiani disappeared on December 2, 2023. His wife, Irene Kawira, had recounted how he received a call from an individual he knew, promising to arrange a meeting with a prominent politician seeking his support. He never returned home.
The burial at his rural home was marked with heartfelt tributes, painting him as more than just a political activist and blogger. A community member eulogised him as “a true son of the soil, a symbol of resilience, and a source of inspiration to many. His memory will live on in our hearts, and his contributions to the community will never be forgotten.”
Family members remembered Daniel as an outgoing, generous, and harmless person whose life was cut short in chilling circumstances.
Irene was left traumatised as weeks turned into months, with no answers about her husband’s fate. The family repeatedly appealed to police to intensify the search, even after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki ordered investigators to record statements from those last in contact with him.
Their worst fears came true when Daniel’s body was discovered dumped in a thicket along the banks of Mutonga River in Tharaka Nithi, prompting the DCI to launch a full-scale investigation.
Detectives took over the case on December 19, conducting painstaking forensic analysis and data reviews that placed Vincent Muriithi, alias Supuu, at the centre of the chilling murder. Investigations established that he lured the outspoken activist into a death trap, leading to the eventual recovery of his body in Chiakariga, Tharaka Nithi County.
The probe also forensically linked four other suspects, including a police officer and a local DJ, to the crime. Evidence allegedly tied them from the moment of abduction in Meru to the point where Daniel’s body was dumped at Mutonga River.
The five suspects are now set to be arraigned on murder charges, as Meru comes to terms with the loss of a man many considered a fearless voice of the people.
