Kiambu police detain politician linked to murder of spouse

Police in Kiambu County are holding a politician suspected of involvement in her husband's death.

Gladys Chania, who contested for Woman Rep in the August 9 General Election was arrested today morning after police linked her to the murder.

According to Kiambu County Commander Perminus Koi, preliminary investigations have placed the politician as the prime suspect of the murder of George Mwangi, who was her husband.

Koi said further investigations have established that the deceased was murdered at their matrimonial home before his body was dumped inside Kieni Forest in Gatundu North on Wednesday.

He said detectives probing the incident found Mwangi's body wrapped in black polythene and stuffed in a bag, from which blood oozed.

"The suspect is going to assist the police piece together the last movements of the deceased. We have so far arrested four suspects who are helping and expected to shed more light on what might have transpired. ," Kioi said.

Although Koi raised concerns over increased murder cases within the county, he said police will stop at nothing in unearthing the murder of the engineer with Double M International in Rwanda.

Earlier in the day, homicide detectives probing the murder said the Kigali-based engineer was killed hours before he could take his flight to Kigali.

The detectives said had Mwangi, 58-year-old husband and father of three had returned home for holiday on September 13 from Kigali.

The investigations come amid speculations that the deceased would have been killed as a result of a sour love affair.

Several crude weapons alleged to have been used in the crime were recovered from their master bedroom.

The detectives also recovered blood soaked bed sheets, curtains and clothes hidden in a locked room adjacent to the master bedroom.

According to police, forensic experts also detected blood splatter patterns on the bedroom walls, wardrobe and along the stairway raising suspicion that the deceased was killed in the house before his body was dumped kilometres away.

The suspect who appears on local television as a counselling psychologist on family conflict filed a missing person report on October 11, 2022 at 8pm at Mwea Police Post in Gatundu North vide OB No. 18/11/10/2022.

She filed two missing person reports, one at Kamwangi Police Station and the other at Mwea Police Post.

In the report, Chania is alleged to have indicated that her late husband had disappeared mysteriously.

A day later, casual labourers working in tea plantations in Kamunyaka, discovered the deceased's lifeless body that was wrapped in a polythene bag and covered under a heap of cartons.

They reported the matter to the area chief who then alerted the police.

On the deceased went missing, he did not have his phone with him and thus could not be traced.

But in her response to the arrest, Chania said they had spent Saturday night with her husband, who woke up on Sunday, went downstairs but never showed up.

"My husband was alive on Sunday Morning. He went downstairs and never came back. He did not carry his mobile phone and in the evening when he failed to show up, the next day I reported the matter at Kamwangi police station and later at Mwea police post which is within my jurisdiction," she said in her statement.

Chania said she has been married to the deceased for 24 years and have three children.

She said her husband had not expressed any sign of fear for his life.