Francis Wambugu Irungu The suspected killer of Mwea schoolteacher Betty Wanjiru Nyaga has been arrested and remanded in custody after detectives tracked him down to Mpeketoni in Lamu County, where he had allegedly been hiding for weeks while scheming to flee the country.
Peter Kanumbi, who was engaged to the deceased, appeared before Kerugoya Principal Magistrate Lisper Gakii Nyaga on Thursday and denied charges of murdering his fiancée. The court ordered him held at Kerugoya Police Station for five days pending completion of investigations, declining to grant him bond over fears for his safety after angry villagers torched his house in the wake of Betty’s death.
Betty Wanjiru Nyaga, 28, a teacher at Ithiga Ria Njuki Comprehensive School, was reported missing on March 12, 2026. Days later, her body was found dumped at Mugumo-ini Village near River Nyamindi in Mwea, a discovery that plunged the community into mourning and sparked public outrage.
Kirinyaga County Criminal Investigations Officer Justus Imaana said detectives received a crucial tip from members of the public that led them to Mukurweini in Nyeri County, where three suspects were arrested in connection with the murder. The suspects subsequently guided investigators to Kanumbi’s hideout in Mpeketoni, Lamu County, hundreds of kilometres from Kirinyaga.
The case will be mentioned again on May 26, 2026, as police work to conclude their probe into a murder that has deeply shaken residents across Mwea and Kirinyaga County.
