Editor's Review

Over the past few months, cases of gruesome murders have been on the rise in the country with police recovering bodies abandoned in forests, rivers and other deserted places

Over the past few months, cases of gruesome murders have been on the rise in the country with police recovering bodies abandoned in forests, rivers, and other deserted places.  

Some of these cases have not been settled, but others have been, thanks to suspects' crucial information that helped unlock the cases. 

In this article, we outline 5 Kenyans who confessed to committing murder:

Paul Morara

He was arrested in October 2021 over the gruesome murder of women in Ruiru, Kiambu County.

Media reports indicate that Morara confessed to the police that he killed at least three women and attended their funerals.

Morara allegedly told the police that he was recruited into a cultic church that paid him Sh30,000 for every murder he committed.

"I was introduced to the church last year by a friend, where every killing attracted an instant pay of Ksh30,000. I was told women were the easiest to kill," he told the press. 

Moses Kipchirchir

He was arrested in November 2021 over the murder of Veronicah Kanini, a business lady in Nakuru City.

During interrogation, Kipchirchir confessed that he had killed his wife and their one-year-old son. He also claimed that he had murdered three other women nine years ago, and took the police where he allegedly buried the bodies, but they did not find the remains. 

A senior investigations officer from Baringo County confirmed that Kipchirchir was giving the information voluntarily adding that police were keen on visiting all sites where he allegedly buries his victims.

Lawrence Njoroge Warunge

In January 2021, Njoroge, who was then 22 years old, made headlines after he was arrested over the murder of his entire family; father, mother, brother, cousin, and a worker at their farm in Kiambaa area, Kiambu County.

Bodies of the four family members were found abandoned inside their house, while that of the worker was found outside the compound. 

File image of Lawrence Warunge 

Njoroge confessed to the police that he eliminated his family after months of planning. According to him, he was inspired by the British TV series ‘Killing Eve’.

An autopsy on the bodies established that they died as a result of stab wounds and being hit by a blunt object.

Jackton Odhiambo

He was arrested in January 2023 over the heinous murder of fashionista Edwin Chiloba.

Reports indicate that Odhiambo confessed to killing Chiloba over cheating allegations. The two were reportedly in a relationship prior to the murder.

Chiloba's body was found stuffed in a metallic box in the outskirts of Eldoret town.

An autopsy on the body revealed that there were no physical injuries, an indication that Chiloba died of suffocation.

Pathologists also found pieces of socks and denim covering his mouth and nose, thus confirming the suffocation claim.

Following the confession, detectives launched investigations into a possible love triangle gone wrong. The case is still ongoing.

Naftali Kinuthia

He was arrested over the murder of Ivy Wangechi, who was a medical student at Moi University School of Medicine, Eldoret.

Wangechi died after she was reportedly hacked to death near the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in April 2019.

Appearing at an Eldoret court in March 2023, Kinuthia confessed to murdering Wangechi and indicated that he regrets committing the heinous act.

According to him, he murdered Wangechi out of the anger of losing her to another man.

"This is an incident that I have regretted forever. After thinking about it and reflecting, I knew it would not have happened since there were many ways to get around the situation without causing the death of an innocent person...Since that day I have felt like I have been secluded from society since killing a person is unacceptable in society," he was quoted.

He was sentenced to 40 years in jail.