A Nakuru man who had reported his wife missing is now the prime suspect in her murder after her decomposing body was discovered dumped in Nakuru West, a week after her disappearance.
Zacharia Wanjohi, the husband of 23-year-old M-Pesa agent Hannah Waithera, was arrested and arraigned in a Nakuru court on Tuesday. He had earlier claimed that Waithera had vanished from her workplace on May 21 and had suggested her phone was moving toward Nairobi.
However, police say forensic phone analysis revealed that Waithera’s last known signal placed her in the same location as Wanjohi on the day she went missing—directly contradicting his version of events. Investigators now accuse him of misleading the probe from the start.
“His movements and statements raised multiple red flags,” a senior detective involved in the case told Channel 15 News.
Authorities have requested to detain Wanjohi for an additional 21 days to allow them to complete forensic tests, retrieve CCTV footage, and record witness accounts.
Waithera’s body was discovered in an advanced state of decomposition, leading investigators to believe she may have been killed shortly after she went missing. The body has since been taken to the Nakuru City Mortuary for postmortem examination.
The case has drawn public outrage and renewed focus on femicide and intimate partner violence in Kenya, where women’s rights groups have raised alarm over the rising number of such incidents.
“We are devastated. Hannah was a hardworking young woman full of life,” said a relative who spoke to reporters outside the courtroom. “We want justice.”
Police are urging anyone with additional information related to the case to report to the nearest station or reach out anonymously through the DCI hotline
