Nairobi Priest Dies In Murang'a Lodging After Night Out With Female Colleague

Police in Murang’a County on Sunday, July 9 launched investigations into the mysterious death of a Catholic priest who served at St. Peter's Church in Ruai, Nairobi, at a hotel room in Gatanga sub-county.

Gatanga sub-county police commander Lawrence Njeru told the press that the pastor, 43 years old Joseph Kariuki Wanjiru, was in the company of a woman who was alleged to be his lover before the incident occurred on Saturday morning, July 8.

A subsequent police report revealed that the woman was a 32-year-old working as Kariuki's colleague in the same church.

"One Joseph Kariuki Wanjiku a k/m/a aged 43yrs old, a Catholic priest at Archdiocese of Nairobi and a farmer at Mangu area checked in at the said hotel together with his girlfriend who also happens to be her colleague at the workplace in Ruai," it read in part.

The couple had spent the night in the hotel only to fall sick the following morning. The priest was reported to have consumed chicken and some liquor at the three-star hotel, all at a cost of Ksh6,000, on Friday night before retiring for the night.

Around 8 am the following morning, the woman was said to have alerted the hotel's management that Kariuki was feeling dizzy and unconscious, which prompted a visit to a nearby hospital.

"They then rushed him to Kenol hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival while still aboard his motor vehicle Toyota Harrier black in colour," the report further read.

The lady who was accompanied by several workers of the hotel then headed to the Samuru police post where they notified the police about the incident before recording a statement.

Njeru further noted that they found the deceased’s body in the back of the vehicle half-covered with a blanket.

“The body was fresh but had foam coming out of the mouth. We made inquiries and discovered that priests’ bodies cannot be preserved in a normal mortuary so we made arrangements to have it transported to Nairobi, accompanied by our officers.

“We interviewed his companion and she told us she had had an affair with the priest for the last six years,” stated the police boss, who added that investigations were launched to establish the cause of his death.

Further reports indicated that the deceased was a frequent customer for two years and despite having good intentions, had affirmed that his identity and occupation be kept a secret.