Police probe lawyer's death in Athi River

Detectives have launched investigations into the killing of a 30-year-old advocate of the High Court. [File]

Detectives have launched investigations into the killing of a 30-year-old advocate whose body was found outside a residential estate in Athi River, Machakos County.

The victim, identified as Edward Kariuki Muthee, was an advocate of the High Court and proprietor of Edward Kariuki Law Firm along Kiambu Road.

Police said his body was discovered on Sunday morning outside Strawberry Estate after a security guard on duty noticed an unresponsive man lying near the entrance and alerted authorities.

Police officers from Athi River Police Station, accompanied by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) officers, processed the scene before commencing investigations.

Preliminary findings indicate that Muthee left his home at around noon on Saturday to attend to personal errands but never returned.

His body was later found with a cut above the right eye and a deep wound at the back of the head, injuries investigators believe were inflicted using a sharp object.

The body was moved to Shalom Community Hospital Mortuary, where a post-mortem examination will be conducted to establish the exact cause of death.

Police said the motive behind the killing remains unknown and no arrests had been made by Monday as detectives pursued leads to establish the circumstances surrounding the advocate's death.

The murder comes amid a series of violent incidents that kept detectives busy in different parts of the country.

Elsewhere in Isiolo County, detectives are probing the fatal shooting of 26-year-old herder Jaro Katelo Elema, who was reportedly attacked while grazing livestock in Gotu during a suspected stock theft incident.

Police said the deceased sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, arm and abdomen. His body was later transported to Isiolo before officers documented the incident.

The President of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Charles Kanjama, has condemned the  killing of advocate Kariuki Muthee and called for swift, thorough and impartial investigations into the incident.

Kanjama described the murder as a tragic loss to the legal fraternity and the country.

"This heinous act is a dark moment for the legal profession and the nation at large, and casts a grim shadow on the state's duty to protect the lives of its citizens," he said.

He urged investigative agencies to conduct "thorough, expeditious and impartial investigations" and ensure those responsible are identified and brought to justice.