Police in Kisii, Kenya, have exhumed the body of a 54-year-old woman, Zipporah Omari, who went missing two months ago, uncovering what investigators believe to be a case of domestic homicide.
The body was discovered in a shallow grave beneath a thatched house in the Mwembe area, directly opposite Kisii Cathedral. A 72-year-old man, identified as John Agwacha, is currently detained at Kisii Central Police Station in connection with the murder.
According to the deceased’s family, Omari, a widow, had been living with Agwacha, also a widower, for about a year. Concerns about her disappearance arose when tenants in Mwembe Estate reported that she had failed to collect rent for two months.
“Sisi baada ya wapangaji kuraise alarm tulianza kupiga report kwa vituo vya polisi… ndio baadaye kuna majirani wakatuambia kwamba mwili umeonekana na kwamba mama amezikwa hapa. Tunataka tu haki,” said Nyambati Omari, Zipporah’s son.
(Translation: “After the tenants raised the alarm, we started making reports at the police stations… then later some neighbors told us that the body had been found and that the woman had been buried here. We just want justice.”)
Reports from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) indicate that the suspect, John Agwacha, initially confessed to killing the deceased by hitting her with a blunt object before burying her body at around 11:30 p.m. However, he later recanted the confession, claiming he was innocent.
“Mama ambaye amepotea kwa muda sasa tumehakikisha ametolewa na mwili unaonekana wake. Uchunguzi tayari unaendelea,” said Kisii Central Sub-County Commander Musa Imai, confirming that the missing woman’s body had been recovered.
(Translation: “The woman who had been missing has now been recovered, and her body is visible. Investigations are already ongoing.”)
The suspect will remain in police custody for 30 days as investigations continue. The body of the deceased has been taken to the Kisii Hospital mortuary, where an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
Family members and residents of Kisii have called for swift justice, expressing shock over the killing that has shaken the quiet Mwembe community.
