A 47-year-old man who disappeared from his home in Kithiga Village, Mbiri, Gichugu, Kirinyaga County, has been found dead in River Nyamindi, eight days after he was last seen.
The body of Andrew Nyaga was recovered from the river on Sunday night, leaving his family and residents of the surrounding villages shocked as they sought answers over the circumstances surrounding his death.
According to his nephew, Joseph Kariuki, the body was discovered more than four kilometres from the family’s home.
Kariuki said the family noticed injuries on Nyaga’s face and around his eyes. He also reported that his uncle’s right-hand thumb was missing, raising concerns about what may have happened to him before his body was found.
The family suspects Nyaga may have been drowned or killed before his body was dumped in the river, although the circumstances of his death have not yet been established.
Nyaga was last seen at Karucho Trading Centre eight days before his body was recovered. His disappearance had prompted a search by relatives, friends and other residents, some of whom had been with him at the trading centre on the day he was last seen.
The discovery drew residents from Karucho, Kithiga, Mbiri and neighbouring areas, with many struggling to come to terms with the news as the body was retrieved from the river.
One of Nyaga’s friends said they had been searching for him since he went missing, adding that they had been together at Karucho Trading Centre before his disappearance.
Nyaga leaves behind his wife, Jane Wanjiku, and their two children.
The family has appealed for justice and called for answers about the events that led to his death.
Due to the state of decomposition, the body was taken to Kerugoya Hospital Mortuary, where it is being preserved ahead of a postmortem examination.
Detectives from Kirinyaga East Sub-County have launched investigations into the incident. The postmortem is expected to help establish the cause of death as investigators work to determine what happened to Nyaga before his body was found in the river.
Police investigations are ongoing, and the family’s suspicions have yet to be confirmed by investigators.
