Police in Murang'a County are looking into the death of a Catholic priest on Saturday morning in a hotel room in the sub-county of Gatanga.
Lawrence Njeru, the sub-county police chief for Gatanga, reported that 43-year-old Joseph Kariuki Wanjiru was with a woman who is thought to be his lover.
He got unwell the next morning after they had spent the night in the hotel. According to reports, the 32-year-old woman works for the same church as the priest.
On Friday night, the priest reportedly ate chicken and drank a little alcohol before going to bed. He had been a guest at the hotel for the previous two years, according to the hotel staff.
Following the encounter, the lady told the hotel's management that the priest was ill and was having episodes of dizziness.
When they raced him to Kenol Hospital, they wrapped him in a blanket, placed him in his car, and declared him dead when they got there.
The woman, who was joined by several hotel staff members, then travelled to the Samuru police station where they informed the authorities of the occurrence and took a statement.
Njeru reported that they discovered the deceased's body partially wrapped in a blanket in the rear of the car.
“The body was fresh but had foam coming out of the mouth. We made inquiries and discovered that priests’ bodies cannot be preserved in a normal mortuary so we made arrangements to have it transported to Nairobi, accompanied by our officers."
Njeru did point out that an investigation had been launched to determine the cause of his passing.
“We interviewed his companion and she told us she had had an affair with the priest for the last six years,” the police boss further noted.
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