Piece by: JESSE MWITUA

15 February 2022

• Ms Onjeri said that she returned home from the river and found her daughter lying on the ground unconscious and on enquiring the suspect told her that his motorcycle had fallen on the minor.

Police have exhumed the body of a two-year-old girl who was killed and secretly buried by her stepfather two years ago in Sirale village, Laikipia County.

The remains had been buried in a gunny-bag barely 20 metres from a house where the main suspect Hardson Nyamwamba Oburi, 27, has been living with his wife Rister Onjeri, 26.

According to Ms Onjeri, a mother of two, her husband who is in police custody killed the minor on December 24, 2020 after he hit her on the head and later buried the body in a gunny- bag.

Ms Onjeri said that she returned home from the river and found her daughter lying on the ground unconscious and on enquiring the suspect told her that his motorcycle had fallen on the minor.

She said that she pleaded with the suspect to allow her to take the minor to the hospital but he said that the baby was already dead.

Ms Onjeri said that her husband picked up a blanket wrapped up the body and stashed it in a gunny- bag and buried it in a shallow grave at an abandoned field.

She said that the suspect has been threatening to kill her if she revealed to anyone the whereabouts of the minor.

Area Chief Joseph Muraya said that Ms Onjeri confessed to him and police officers at Sirale police post on January 25, this year that her husband had killed their daughter.

He said that the couple were involved in a domestic quarrel and as they were solving the matter the wife told police that the husband had killed their daughter and buried the body secretly.

Chief Muraya said that police launched investigations before locating the grave several metres from the couple's rented house.

Since January 25, this year police officers have been guarding the grave, as they waited for the court to give orders.

On Monday, digging of the grave started with caution on the small patch of earth as soon as crime scene officers arrived.

A crime scene officer said that they have been investigating the matter since it was brought to their attention and had moved to court seeking an exhumation order.

Mr Ogat Ondieki, a relative said the family was in shock after the incident and appealed to the Government to ensure justice was served.

The exhumed body parts were moved to the Nyahururu County Referral hospital mortuary awaiting autopsy.