As detectives battle to unravel the mystery behind the murder of businesswoman Monica Kimani, some of the teachers who interacted with the man suspected of taking her life have opened up.
It is now emerging 28-year-old Joseph Kuria Irungu, popularly known as Jowie, spent only one year at Langalanga Secondary, Nakuru’s leading day school.
“According to admission book in the school, Mr Irungu joined Form One in 2006 and left in 2007. He did not write his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE) at Langalanga,” said a teacher at the school who did not want to go on record as she is not the spokesperson of the school.
She said the Form One admission documents indicate that he was a pupil at Carol Academy situated in Race-track estate where he did his Kenya Certificate of Primary Examination (KCPE).
A teacher at Carol Academy confirmed that Mr Irungu was indeed their pupil and did his KCPE in 2005.
“He joined Carol Academy at Class Five. Teachers in school were surprised to see his photograph in the newspaper as a murder suspect,” said a teacher at the school.
She said Mr Irungu was good pupil and an entertainer during the school extra curriculum activities.
“He was one of the school best entertainer. How he changed his character and behaviour is still a mystery to most of the teachers who handled him,” said the teacher.
At Langalanga Secondary School, teachers said they were unable to trace his whereabouts after he left the school in 2007.
“We were unable to establish whether he continued with his secondary school education or he dropped out after he left Langalanga Secondary School in 2006,” said a teacher at the school.
She said since he only stayed for one year, it was hard to know his character and behaviour.
“Form Ones are cheeky and it takes time to learn their true characters and in his case it was tricky as he left after one year.”
“He was not able to fit in our system as well,” said another teacher without divulging much details.
On Sunday when the Nation visited Mr Irungu’s home in Lanet on the outskirts of Nakuru town at 4pm, the gate to the palatial house tucked between Kiratina estate and Lanet Baracks was closed.
Efforts to access the compound were futile, despite knocking at the gate and ringing the bell.
A neighbour we met at the entrance revealed that a few weeks back, Mr Irungu’s parents disclosed that he was outside the country “but did not state what he was doing abroad”.
Mr Irungu is the second-born in a family of two boys and two girls.
He was a founder member of church choir Agape Stormers, a band that entertained revellers in Naivasha and Nakuru towns, where he was born and brought up.
His behaviour change has shocked those who knew him as a religious man and now some of his teachers have turned the murder case facing him into a lesson.
The teachers are now constantly reminding the learners, particularly girls, to be wary of sponsors.
“I am telling the girls to be contented with what they have. I am reminding them that when they lose wealth they lose nothing but when they lose health and character they lose everything,” said the teacher.
Mr Irungu and his fiancée, journalist Jacque Maribe, and their mutual friend Brian Kassaine are hehind bars over the murder of Ms Kimani in Kilimani, Nairobi.