Missing teacher found buried in concrete coffin at his house

Villagers mill around a house where the decomposing body of a 45-year old teacher was discovered in a concreate coffin as it was moved into a waiting police car at Ihururu within Tetu Constituency, Nyeri county, January 12, 2023. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

Residents of Ihururu in Tetu Constituency, Nyeri County have made a bizarre discovery when they found the body of a man in a concrete coffin at a rented house.

The body of Joseph Gathogo Njambi, 45, was discovered by his landlord in single-roomed house laid in a concrete coffin covered in plywood and a black flag.

According to his landlord Kariuki Njama, Gathogo a lab technician at Muhoya secondary school had been his tenant for 19 years and went missing on December 19.

"We last saw Gathogo on December 19, last month, nobody his phone was off. I thought he had gone home for Christmas break until his mother came looking for him on January 1," mhe noted.

Njama reported the case of his missing tenant to the Ihururu police post when they still could not trace him.

As days went on he became suspicious of the tenant's house after fellow tenants reported a foul smell coming out of Gathogo's house and immediately reported the matter to the police.

The police came and after breaking into the house they found a concrete coffin with the deceased decomposing body. There was also an assortment of chemicals.

"The coffin was made of concrete but covered with plywood, there was a black flag with mysterious drawings and unreadable writings. I have never witnessed such a thing in my life, it's very shocking," Njama said.

Villagers described Gathogo as very reserved, with no friends visiting his home, but dedicated to his work and social with locals.

"He loved politics and was a peaceful person in the 19 years he has been my tenant I have never seen any visitors or friends to his house.He used to meet his colleagues at Ihururu shopping center," he said.

The landlord noted that Gathogo did not go to church and had no girlfriends that he knew of and mostly kept to himself.

Njama recalled it was not the first time that he had gone missing.

"There was a time he went missing for two weeks during Covid-19 pandemic and switched off his phone. The school reported him missing but Gathogo was found in the house unharmed," he said.

Mr Zachary Muthiri, a colleague and friend, said he was a jovial person and a hardworking teacher's assistant never quick to anger, and loved politics.

"At one point he was the patron of Catholic Action, a catholic movement at Muhoya Secondary School but he later dropped his duty," Muthiri said.

Muthiri said he was shocked by the death of his friend saying he maybe associated with a certain cult.

"The coffin made of concrete took him maybe two years to construct. He had several chemicals to preserve his body and control the smell?" Muthiri said.

The Area assistant chief Martha Gachucha said that she was informed that there was a suicide incident in her area.

"We discovered a decomposing body in a concrete coffin with a black flag beside and some unknown writing," she said

The police removed the body and took it to Nyeri Referral Hospital Mortuary.