On Thursday, July 19, police in Murang'a County shot dead 80-year-old Wambui Muturi in an operation to free a lady believed to have been kidnapped.
Also shot dead were two middle-aged men, John Mwangi and Samuel Kang’ethe who were said to be working with Muturi to run a kidnapping ring based in Mt. Kenya but with footprints as far as Nairobi.
Their victim, Margaret Waithera was rescued in Gatundu, Murang’a County and it was revealed that Ms Muturi, Mwangi and Kang'ethe had demanded Sh5 million as ransom from her family, threatening to kill her if they failed to comply.
Information has, however, emerged on the unusual life of Muturi, a devout Catholic whose story is intertwined with crime.
According to her neighbours, Muturi was quite secretive and this led a section of residents to believe that she was a witch.
[caption caption="Margaret Waithera with police officers after she was rescued on 19/07/2018"][/caption]
Gatundu Chief John Wachira told Nation that two of Muturi's sons were killed by lynch mobs while another was shot dead by police officers in Nairobi.
One of the men killed by police in the Friday operation, Samuel Kang'ethe, was the granny's nephew.
Another of her sons died due to a short illness while Ms Muturi's husband died years ago.
According to Wachira, the killing of her sons changed Muturi completely and it was then that she started becoming reclusive.
The gang's last victim had been held at a house for six days before police swooped in.
She claims that Muturi threatened to cut off her hands and circumcise her.
“The cucu (granny) was the one cooking for me. She also threatened to have me circumcised,” Waithera disclosed.
Her daughter Margaret Wanjiru, however, maintains that she did not know her mother was a criminal.
“I call on well-wishers to assist the family bury her. Despite the circumstances, she was still a mother and needs a proper sendoff,” she stated.
[caption caption="A photo of Wambui Muturi from her family album (Courtesy)"][/caption]