- On Saturday, bodies of two unidentified men were found floating in the Thika River.
- One of the bodies had its eyes gouged out and had both hands severed at the wrists.
A police squad investigating the mysterious disappearance and deaths of the Kitengeli Four are now looking into three similar cases, a total of seven.
A body discovered on Saturday in the Thika River had its eyes gouged out and both hands severed at the wrist. It was not identified.
Nor was a body with severed arms.
The number rose after more complaints of men missing under similar circumstances were recorded in city police stations.
The squad started working this weekend, visiting mortuaries. An official aware of the probe said they are looking into seven cases of disappearances and possible deaths.
On Saturday, Kiunyu village in Gatanga in Murang’a county was in shock after the bodies of two unidentified men were found floating in the Thika River.
One body discovered on Saturday afternoon was mutilated, eyes and hands missing.
Another body was found at the same location about a month ago, said residents who camped out waiting for police officers to arrive.
The bodies were taken to General Kago Funeral Home where officials appealed to those with missing relatives and friends to help identify them.
The squad has 30 days to investigate the disappearance and deaths of some of the four Kitengela friends whose bodies have been found so far. Three bodies have been found.
Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai said on Friday he had ordered the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to investigate the four friends' disappearance and give him a report in a month.
The four friends, Elijah Obuong, Jack Anyango, Benjamin Imbai and Brian Oduor, went missing on April 19 after a lunch meeting in Kitengela.
Their car, a white Toyota Mark X, was found the next day abandoned at a parking lot about 500 metres from the club where they had et.
On Wednesday and Thursday, relatives positively identified the bodies of Imbai and Obuong.
An autopsy on Obuong’s body indicated he was strangled.
A third body found near Obuong's body in Murang'a is yet to be identified while the fourth one is yet to be found.
Sources close to the investigation said they appeared to have been abducted by professionals as there had been no commotion.
Mutyambai spoke amid growing speculation about how the four men vanished shortly after meeting for lunch at a pub in Kitengela.
The family of Jack Onyango, who is among those reported missing, said on Friday that the body found in the Mathioya River on Thursday was not Onyango’s.
This deepened the mystery of where the bodies of Onyango and Oduor could be.
Police had recovered the third body after being informed by sand harvesters.
The arms had been severed. The body is at the Murang’a county mortuary.
Obuong’s body was found on April 20 in River Mukungai, which is a few metres away from River Mathioya, and taken to the same morgue.
This was a day after their abduction by unknown people.
Imbai’s body was found on April 20 in Kieni forest, Gatundu North, and taken to the Kago Road General Funeral Home.
A search for the others is ongoing.
(Edited by V. Graham)