In December, it alleged that a man in Tharaka Nithi county went to the river with his goats to bathe but while on the river enjoying the cool waters, his goats that were grazing by the riverbank trespassed to a residents farm.
Since then the whereabouts of Gitonga Kibuibe remained unknown when he went missing on that day in December 2018 only his skeleton to be found in River Thuci three weeks ago.
As for the goats, when they trespassed to the resident’s farm,
Gikware Mukengu, who is also the chiefs brother in Tharaka Nithi, he detained them and refused to release them.
Locals said that after the chief’s brother declined to release the goats, villagers sought the intervention of Igambang’ombe deputy county commissioner, who reportedly sent the chief to handle the matter.
On April 25, 2019, just a day before the remains were buried, the villagers held demonstrations demanding justice for Mr Kibuibe’s family.
Before the chief arrived, hundreds of residents stormed the home of the chiefs brother baying for his blood but he managed to escape.
They accused police and the local administration of taking no action on the matter despite the fact that the sons of the chief and the brother had continued to threaten them.
They also claimed that the chief’s sons had a list of people from the village whom they had vowed to kill. Not aware of what had happened to his brother, the chief went to resolve the dispute but the mob attacked him.
Reports indicate that a day after the Mr Kibuibe went missing, Mr Mukengu the chiefs brother and his sons fenced off part of the river where the remains were found on April 4, 2019, barring villagers from fetching water or watering their animals as they used to do before.
This triggered a demonstration by the villagers prompting the Igambang’ombe deputy county commissioner to visit the village and held a peaceful meeting.
According to residents, the skeleton believed to be that of Mr Kibuibe was found between two rocks inside the water and some pieces of sack and clothes were recovered from the scene, making them believe that he was killed and his body put in the sack but police have disputed the reports.
Chuka/Igambang’ombe OCPD Joseph Kavoo said he was not aware that some pieces of sack and clothes were found where the remains were recovered.
When the villagers went to the chiefs brother baying for his blood, the chief was also on his way but unaware of the situation in his brothers home.
When the chief arrived, immediately, the irate mob descended on him, slashed him with pangas before setting his body on fire.
It is then that the OCS is said to have gone to the area with two police officers in pursuit of the suspects believed to have been involved in the death of the local area chief Japhet Majau.
When he arrived in the market place, the OCS and another police officer cornered the suspect at Ugweri market in Embu East, where he operated a butchery.
The officers were in plain clothes and in the company of a police informer.
The OCS reportedly confronted the suspect identified as David Ikaaba and ordered him to surrender but he did not obey the order and it is alleged that they shot him dead in the village.
A police report says the workers in the butchery raised the alarm and attacked the officers.
It was then that the suspect picked up an axe and struck the OCS in the head several times, much to the astonishment of the residents.
The suspect also pounced on the police informer and seriously injured him and then attempted to flee, but the other police officers responded quickly and shot him dead.
Residents said they rushed to the scene after hearing gun shots.
“We were shocked to find the officer the suspect lying in pools of blood,” said one Mr Njagi Nthiga.
Embu County Police Commander Daniel Rukunga confirmed the killing of the officer and his attacker and said investigations were ongoing.
Mr Rukunga admitted that the OCS had been working outside Embu – holding meetings with his counterparts in Tharaka-Nithi as they sought to establish what transpired in Tharaka-Nithi.