A 24-year-old Ugandan suspected of killing his employer in Kabati, Murang’a, last week, was arraigned on Monday.
David Imwene worked as a farmhand for Anthony Macharia and fled soon after his murder.
Macharia had sold a dairy cow a few days earlier for Sh130,000 and his family suspected that it had something to do with his cruel death.
Kandara deputy county commissioner Carolyne Nzwili confirmed that Sh30,000 had been transferred from Macharia's mobile phone to that of Imwene.
Nzwili said a money trail by the police revealed that the cash had been transferred from Macharia’s mobile phone to one the suspect was using but registered in the name of Stephen Emuria. She said Imwene was found in possession of the phone at the point of his arrest on Sunday in Witeithie area of Kiambu.
Imwene had gone missing for days following the murder. He was arraigned in Kandara on Monday but is currently in police custody after investigating officers applied to hold him for 14 more days as they complete investigations.
Macharia’s body was found buried in a shallow grave that had been covered with cow dung on Wednesday last week. On Tuesday, he had decided to spend the night at the farmhand’s house to keep an eye on a cow that was due to deliver. The house is located near the cow pen.
The following morning, Macharia was nowhere to be seen. He had neither milked his cows as was the norm, his wife Grace Wanjiru said. His mobile phone had been left in the farmhand’s house, but Imwene was missing—he had fled.
With the help of neighbours, the family combed through the compound, only to find his belt protruding from a hole that had been dug the previous day for planting a banana tuber. They dug out the cow dung that had covered the hole and unearthed his body.
