Man whose three sons were killed two years ago claims delayed justice is source of his suffering

Manasseh Ndiragu Gachagua and his wife Mary Wangari Ndirangu during the burial of their sons Daniel Ikenye,Paul Mutunga and Paul Ndirangu at their home in Sachangwan, Nakuru county on February 8,2017.The three brothers went missing on January 18 at their home in Barnabas estate and later found found dead at Kamei Forest in Thika. [PHOTO:KIPSANG JOSEPH]

Manasseh Ndirangu is a devastated man. Two years after his three sons were killed by unknown men, he is still waiting to see justice served.

His sons were kidnapped and their bodies later discovered in a forest in Thika, thanks to the identical bracelets the three had that made identifying them easy.

Paul Mutunga, 32, Daniel Ikenya, 31 and Mwai Ndirangu, 24, were on their way to Barnabas Centre on the morning of January 18, 2017 to register as voters.

This was the last time the three, together with their cousin who was also killed, were seen alive. Their their hands were tied and their eyes gouged out.

Two years down the line, the family says the wheels of justice have ground to a halt.

“I buried them and wished their bodies would rest in eternal peace but two years later, I am struggling to get the image off my mind,” Ndirangu says.

The unexplained disappearance of the suspected killer, from Nakuru Prison, baffles the family even more.

Charles Njuguna had been charged with sending threatening text messages to the family and demanding a Sh500,000 ransom.

“Life has never been this difficult. The death of the three marked the beginning of another life up the hill, I am almost giving up.

“I miss most the moments I would see them home, especially during the weekends,” the father says.

Ndirangu, who was diagnosed with a kidney disease month after the killings, blames his deteriorating health on the loss of his sons.

He now takes care of Paul’s two children.

“I am a traumatised father and living by the grace of God. Justice has been delayed and it seems the mystery behind the killings will never be unravelled,” he says.

Records at Nakuru GK Prison, where Charles Njuguna was held after arrest on February 29, 2017, indicate that he escaped between April 4, 2017 and July 7, 2017.

No formal report

Japheth Onchiri, the officer in charge of the prison, in a report presented in court in June last year, said no formal report was made to the police and or the Directorate of Criminal Investigations after the suspect went missing.

“I have gone through the records and noted that the occurrence of the escape presumed to have taken place between April 4, 2017 and July 7, 2017 was verbally reported to the Regional Prisons Commander Rift Valley and the DCI, but no documentation was forwarded to them later,” reads the report.