A 25 year prison warder was strangled, says report

A 25-year-old prison warder who was found dead after missing for a week was strangled to death.
A postmortem report compiled by Government pathologist Titus Ngulungu revealed that Ms Caroline Jepchirchir Chesire was strangled and suffocated to death by her assailants.
According to the report handed to her father Micah Chesire Friday at the Nakuru War Memorial Hospital where the autopsy was conducted, the deceased had bruises on the neck and arms.
Jepchirchir, who had served as a prison warder at the Nakuru GK Main Prison for one year after she joined the service in March 2018, has been described by her bosses as a hardworking and disciplined officer who performed her duties with dedication.
Chesire, a Chief Inspector of Police based in Kericho, maintained that the murder of his fourth born child was carried out by skilled assassins who were keen to eliminate her.
Police investigations have established that Jepchirchir was last spotted in the company of two prison wardens and another man believed to be her lover at an entertainment joint in Nakuru town.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers spent the better part of Saturday piecing together information to unravel the circumstances surrounding the mysterious death.
As they probe the gruesome incident, the detectives are seeking answers from one suspect who is also a prison warder identified as Joseph Kairu.
On Wednesday, investigators received information that a body suspected to be of the officer was found dumped in a thicket at Githioro village in Subukia, Nakuru County and moved it to Nyahururu hospital morgue in Laikipia County.
Officers from Nakuru, together with Chesire’s family members, travelled to the morgue where they identified the body. It had injuries on the chest and head.
The officer in charge of Nakuru Women’s Prison Emily Momanyi, said she was saddened by the warder’s death who she last saw on April 2 after she completed her duty in the evening.
“She was to report the following day for the afternoon shift. We marked her absent and we continued doing so for the remaining days. After seven days, I informed my bosses about her disappearance,” said Ms. Momanyi.
Nakuru East Sub County police commander Ellena Wairimu said the suspect was one of the two people who were last seen with Jepchirchir’s on April 3.
“The injuries on the body show that my daughter died a painful death and I still do not understand why someone could just decide to end her life in such a brutal manner,” said Chesire.
He said that he was compelled to report his daughter’s disappearance at Nakuru Central Police Station on Monday at around 7.22pm after weeklong attempts to reach her on phone proved futile.
“I tried to call her several times but could not get through. I had to travel to Nakuru from Kericho when my wife who had travelled from Nairobi informed me that she was not at her work place. Initially we were holding on to the hope that she was alive until we received the bad news,” said the distraught father.
Her brother, Joel Kurgat, said that the family was hoping for answers on who killed their sister and why so that the matter could be brought to a closure.
“Jepchirchir’s disappearance was unusual for she always keeps us abreast on her whereabouts. She was a quiet and humble girl,” said the brother.
The family has called for speedy investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding their kin’s death.
Kairu was initially arrested on April 9 after Jepchirchir relatives lodged a complaint. When he was presented before court, police sought for more time to conclude their investigations.
In his miscellaneous application, police detective David Kuria said he intended to press abduction charges against Kairu. By then, the body of the deceased had not been found.
Resident Magistrate Wilson Kitur directed that the suspect be detained at the Nakuru Central Police Station for two weeks pending investigations.
The case will be mentioned on April 24.
By Jane Ngugi