A man suspected to be behind a string of chilling murders targeting young women in Thika, Kiambu county, has been arrested following a joint operation by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
In a statement released on Thursday, April 17, 2025, DCI confirmed that the person of interest identified as one Samuel King’ara Kimani was taken into custody in connection with the brutal killings of 22-year-old Rosemary Njeri Ndekei and 20-year-old Hellen Wambui Ndung’u, both of whom were found dead in eerily similar circumstances just weeks apart.
Lured and killed
The first case unfolded on March 17, 2025, when Rosemary Njeri left her home for Thika town to shop for clothes but never returned.
Her disappearance triggered panic among her loved ones, who reported her missing at Thika Police Station.
Just a day later, her decomposing body was found in a coffee plantation in the Karibaribi area, sparking a murder investigation.
Authorities confirmed her identity on March 19, and a post-mortem report revealed she had died from manual strangulation and blunt force trauma – clear indicators of a violent attack.
Less than two weeks later, on March 31, 2025, another young woman – Hellen Wambui, a student at Gituamba Vocational Training College – vanished after running a simple errand for her mother.
Her body was discovered the following day in a bush near Ngorongo Trading Centre, partially covered with soil.
Though no visible injuries were found, investigators linked her death to the earlier case.
Forensic trail led to arrest
Detectives from the DCI Homicide Directorate and Thika-based officers launched an intensive investigation, piecing together forensic clues that eventually led them to King’ara, who was apprehended on April 14 in the Dry area of Ngomongo.
“Determined to unravel the mystery behind these pattern of murders, detectives from the Homicide Directorate joined forces with their Thika counterparts in a painstaking probe.
“Utilising forensic leads and the Exchange Principle, the team trailed and arrested the prime suspect, Samuel King’ara Kimani, at Dry area of Ngomongo on April 14, 2025,” DCI said in a statement.
According to the DCI, the man targeted women walking along secluded paths, lured them into nearby coffee farms, and then subjected them to sexual assault before killing them and disappearing without a trace.
“The investigation uncovered a chilling pattern: in both cases, the suspect accosted the victims at isolated pathways, thereafter dragging them into the depths of sprawling coffee plantations, where he sexually assaulted them before ruthlessly taking their lives and holing up without a trace,” DCI said.
King’ara was arraigned in court on April 16, where investigators secured custodial orders to allow them to continue with their inquiries. Police are now probing whether he could be linked to other unsolved cases in the area.
The arrest marks a major breakthrough in what had become a source of fear and outrage in the region. The similarities in the two cases had raised alarm over a possible serial killer operating with chilling precision.
The murders have stirred grief and anger among residents in Kiambu County, with renewed calls for tighter security, especially for women using isolated routes.
Most wanted serial killer
Even though the arrest of the person of interest in the Thika murders has brought some respite to residents, Kenya’s most wanted serial killer Collins Jumaisi Khalusha still remains at large, having escaped from police custody.
Collins Jumaisi Khalusha escaped alongside 12 other suspects from the Gigiri Police Station in Nairobi on August 20, 2024.
Eight police officers were suspended and five were charged in court over the escape, which police said was aided by insiders.
In July 2024, police reported that Collins Jumaisi Khalusha had confessed to the murders of 42 women, including his wife, since 2022. However, his lawyer claimed that the confession was extracted under torture.
Jumaisi was arrested following the horrific discovery of the mutilated bodies of nine women in July at a disused quarry used as a rubbish dump in Kware, Embakasi, Nairobi.
The victims were aged between 18 and 30, and were all killed in a similar way, according to the police.
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