A sombre mood engulfed the Ndekei area in Gatundu North as three out of the four men killed on August 14, 2023, was laid to rest.
Laban Mwathi, 54, Earnest Muigai, 27 and Patrick Nguku, 45 were interred at Gachugi village.
Peter Irungu on the other hand, was laid to rest at Kaharati village in Kigumo constituency Murang'a County.
The four were killed as they were heading home. Post mortems conducted at General Kago Funeral Home in Thika on Wednesday last week revealed that their heads were smashed with a blunt object and they died of excessive bleeding.
Police in Gatundu North have already arrested 24-year-old Dominic Ngige in connection to the gruesome murder.
Ngige is being held at Kamwangi police station as investigations continue before being arraigned at the Gatundu law courts on September 5.
Speakers during the mass burial ceremony on Wednesday called on the authorities to beef up security in the villages lamenting that cases of insecurity have drastically increased.
“We have never witnessed such a wave of crimes in Gatundu North. Criminals have pitched camp here and they are terrorising innocent residents day and night.
"From livestock and farm produce theft, they are now taking the lives of innocent Kenyans. Our security agents must wake up from their slumberland and restore order,” said resident John Muteti.
"It hurts to say goodbye dad, You've left a void in our lives and all we can pray is for your justice to be served," said Duncan Kimani, Nguku's second-born child.
Kiambu County Commissioner Joshua Nkanatha assured the bereaved families that justice for their loved ones will be served.
Nkanatha also divulged that security organs in the region are working round the clock to flush our criminal elements from the villages and restore normalcy and order.
"We have intensified night patrols and raids in illicit brews and drug dens. We will leave no stone unturned until we drive out all criminals from this region. I also want to caution youths to desist from engaging in criminal activities to avoid facing the wrath of the law," he said.
Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi cautioned parents against hiding their mentally challenged children saying that they should be exposed for help.
This is after it emerged that the suspect in the gruesome murders was of unsound mind and he was once admitted at Mathari Mental Hospital in Nairobi.
“Parents have a role to ensure that their children portray high levels of discipline, they shouldn’t hide them even when they perpetrate criminal acts,” he said.
Wamatangi also revealed that he will facilitate the employment of some of the bereaved families' members to enable them to cater to their families after their breadwinners pass on.
