Joint police teams in Nakuru and Nyandarua are
investigating the murder of a Catholic priest.
Police picked Fr John Maina Ndegwa from the roadside after he was found unconscious and with serious injuries.
Bishop Joseph Mbatia of Nyahururu Diocese said the Priest was rushed to St Mary Hospital in Gilgil town but was declared dead upon arrival..
Ndegwa was the Father in
charge of the Igwamiti Catholic Parish of Nyandarua.
Police said they suspect he
was injured elsewhere and his body was dumped at the site.
The team is trying to trace
his last moments before he was found dead.
They have so far talked to
people who were seen with him last as part of the probe.
"An autopsy will give us
more on the way forward," said an officer in the team.
Police said his vehicle, a Subaru, is missing, and efforts to trace it are ongoing.
Detectives suspect that the
priest was murdered elsewhere and his body dumped at Kikopey on the
Nakuru-Nairobi highway in Gilgil.
According to Gilgil DCI head
Rahamad Wasilwa, the priest’s body appeared to have been dumped at the
location, raising suspicions that he could have been killed elsewhere.
“We're in deep shock to learn
of the very sudden death of Rev. Father John Maina Ndegwa of Igwamiti parish.
Father Maina hosted H.E. Rigathi Gachagua, EGH and our team a fortnight ago for
the parish's family day. May your soul, my good friend, rest in peace,” he said in
a post on Facebook.
At the weekend, the Bishop, Priests and Faithful
gathered in St Louis Church in Igwamiti Parish, where the priest used to serve,
to pray for his soul.
Other faithful took to social
media to mourn him.
Locals said he was a devoted
shepherd and a source of spiritual strength to many.
His demise has sent shockwaves
through the religious community and beyond, coming just two weeks after he
hosted former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and other dignitaries at a
high-profile fundraiser.
