Arrest illustration/FILE
Ken Gichunuku, alias 'Sultan', was nabbed by detectives from the homicide unit. He had been on the run for more than a year after the brutal murder of the woman.
Njeri, 23, was the daughter of a Kirinyaga nominated MCA.
The suspect was her former boyfriend, and police had circulated his image and details as a wanted man.
Nyakio’s lifeless body was discovered on October 14 last year inside Blessings Building in Biafra estate, Thika town, setting off an intensive manhunt.
Nyakio, a graduate of Zetech University, was found murdered in a house in the area.
Preliminary police investigations suggested that she was strangled. An autopsy revealed that she died from strangulation, with evidence suggesting an assault prior to her death.
Bruises were found on her neck, cheeks, thighs and other areas, indicating that she likely fought her attacker.
Following the murder, the suspect went underground in a bid to evade arrest.
However, relentless investigations and forensic leads finally closed in on him.
Detectives trailed and arrested Gichunuku on Saturday in Busia town near the Kenya-Uganda border, where he had been working at a cereal distribution shop while hiding in plain sight.
The arrest was made by the homicide team alongside their counterparts from Kisii South and Busia.
The suspect was detained in custody for processing pending arraignment.
He was set to be brought to Thika for processing and possible arraignment, police said.
Detectives handling the incident attributed the arrest to technology and help from the public.
Elsewhere, a 39-year-old man died in hospital after he was assaulted by his wife in Butali village, Kakamega county.
Isaac Mukolwe had been involved in a quarrel with his wife at their Matioli home when he was assaulted. The woman escaped the scene as the man was taken to hospital, where he died.
Police said the body was moved to the mortuary, where an autopsy confirmed on Thursday he died out of injuries to his head.
A hunt for the woman is ongoing, police said.
In Siaya county, a man was fatally assaulted
while attending a disco event in the village.
Felix Akech, 28, went to his home in Lwala, Bondo, with injuries to the head before he succumbed to them.
Witnesses told police the deceased had been involved in an
altercation at the event before he was hit in the head.
He then left for his house, where he was found moaning in pain and rushed to hospital.
He was then pronounced dead on arrival.
In Lolwe, Kisumu county, the body of a man was found on the
roadside after a suspected murder.
The police suspect the man was murdered elsewhere before
the body was dumped in Migosi.
The body had a deep cut in the back of his head. The police
moved the body to the mortuary pending identification and autopsy.
The motive of the murder is yet to be known, police said.
