A man suspected to be behind a series of gruesome murders targeting young women in Thika, Kiambu County, has been arrested following a joint operation by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The suspect, identified as Samuel King’ara Kimani, was taken into custody in connection with the killings of 22-year-old Rosemary Njeri Ndekei and 20-year-old Hellen Wambui Ndung’u, who were found dead under eerily similar circumstances within weeks of each other.
The first victim, Rosemary Njeri, disappeared on March 17, 2025, after leaving her home to shop in Thika town. Her disappearance quickly raised alarm, and her family reported her missing. Two days later, her decomposing body was discovered in a coffee plantation in the Karibaribi area. A post-mortem examination confirmed that she had been strangled manually and had suffered blunt force trauma, clear signs of a violent attack.
Less than two weeks later, Hellen Wambui, a student at Gituamba Vocational Training College, vanished on March 31, 2025, after running an errand for her mother. Her body was found the next day in a bush near Ngorongo Trading Centre, partially covered with soil. Though there were no visible injuries, the police linked her death to the earlier case, suspecting the involvement of the same perpetrator.
The DCI Homicide Directorate, in collaboration with Thika-based officers, launched an intensive investigation. Through forensic evidence and the application of the Exchange Principle an investigative theory suggesting that criminals leave traces at crime scenes the detectives were able to trace the suspect, Samuel King’ara. He was apprehended on April 14, 2025, in the Dry area of Ngomongo.
The investigation revealed a disturbing pattern: King’ara targeted women walking along isolated paths, luring them into nearby coffee plantations. There, he sexually assaulted them before killing them and fleeing without leaving a trace. This pattern was confirmed in both the Rosemary and Hellen cases, with detectives piecing together forensic clues to build their case.
Following his arrest, King’ara was arraigned in court on April 16, 2025, where police secured a custodial order to continue their inquiries. Authorities are now investigating whether he may be linked to other unsolved murders in the area.
The arrest has provided some relief to the community, which had been gripped by fear and anger due to the nature of the crimes. The murders sparked widespread concern about safety, particularly for women using isolated routes, and there have been renewed calls for increased security in the area.
Despite this breakthrough, Kenya’s most notorious serial killer, Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, remains at large. Khalusha, who was one of the suspects in the Kware murders, escaped from police custody in August 2024, along with 12 other inmates. The escape was aided by insiders, and as a result, eight police officers were suspended, and five were charged in court.
In July 2024, Khalusha reportedly confessed to the murders of 42 women, including his wife, since 2022. However, his lawyer claimed that the confession was coerced under duress. His arrest came after the discovery of the mutilated bodies of nine women in a disused quarry in Kware, Embakasi, Nairobi. The victims, aged between 18 and 30, had been killed in a similar manner, intensifying fears of a serial killer on the loose.
While the arrest of Samuel King’ara has brought some measure of justice, the hunt for Khalusha continues, with authorities urging the public to remain vigilant.
