The body of a 40-year-old Machakos priest who had gone missing was recovered on Wednesday from a riverbed.
Michael Kyengo disappeared from his parents’ Tala home in Kangundo, Machakos, on October 5. His disappearance was reported to the KBC police on October 7. Villagers said the priest was to preside over Mass for a church member on the night he disappeared.
Kyengo served as an assistant priest in Thaka Catholic Parish. The body was retrieved from Mashamba seasonal river in Makima ward, Mbeere South. It was mutilated, stashed in a sack and buried in the riverbed.
The exercise was supervised by Danson Diru, the operations director at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
Pathologists and investigators took charge. His relatives and Catholic priests, led by the Fr Josphat Kyambu, were present. Residents thronged the area but they were kept at bay by the police.
Investigators found that he had been murdered and buried at the scene. Kyengo's car had been traced to the Coast region. The police had arrested a suspect. He had been helping them with investigations.
“The priest appeared to have been murdered as his body has scaring wounds, before being stashed in the sack and brought here and buried,” Diru said.
Investigations also revealed that a substantial amount of money was withdrawn from his account by suspected killers. Diru said the body will be analysed further to ascertain that it is Kyengo's. It was taken to the mortuary.
He said the suspect will be arraigned soon after the investigations are completed.
Fr Kyambu said Kyengo had been on leave and described him as a very committed priest. He wondered why the assailants would be that cruel.
(Edited by F'Orieny)
