- Police in Kenol have launched investigations after the body of teacher Timothy Njau was found in a locked rental house he had secretly rented.
- Family members have described unusual final gestures from Njau in the days before his disappearance,
- His wife has said she believes he died by suicide, while denying persistent community rumours of infidelity amid reported financial and marital strain in the family.
Police in Kenol, Murang’a County, have launched investigations after the body of a 36-year-old secondary school teacher who had been missing for five days was discovered inside a locked rental house.
Timothy Njau, a teacher at Muruka Senior School, reportedly went missing on August 21, shortly after completing his duties at the school and briefly visiting his family home. His family became concerned after his mobile phone was switched off, prompting them to report his disappearance to the authorities and launch a search for him.
The search ended tragically on August 26, when residents living near a newly rented house close to Kenol town alerted police after detecting a foul smell coming from the locked premises. Police officers who responded to the report broke into the house and found Njau’s body in an advanced state of decomposition.
According to information from the family and investigators, Njau had secretly rented the house on August 15 as he sought to settle personal affairs, without informing his family about the property.
In the days before his disappearance, family members said Njau had displayed an unusually calm and affectionate demeanour. On August 16, he reportedly encouraged his family to attend Mass together, something his relatives described as unusual.
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The following day, he took his wife, Elizabeth Waweru, and their four children to Thika, where they went shopping and had lunch. The family now believes the moments may have been his final effort to spend peaceful time with his loved ones.
The tragedy comes against the backdrop of reported financial and marital difficulties that had affected the family in recent years. Waweru, who graduated in early 2023, had secured a demanding grassroots mobilisation job to supplement the family’s income and support their four children. Her long working hours reportedly became a source of tension in the marriage, and Njau had also demanded reimbursement for expenses he had incurred toward her university education.
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Waweru said she later took a microfinance loan in December 2023 and fully repaid the amount, but rumours concerning her conduct continued within the community. She has strongly denied allegations of infidelity, saying the persistent rumours had caused considerable pain to the family.
The circumstances surrounding Njau’s death remain under investigation, with police expected to establish what happened between the time he disappeared and when his body was discovered. A postmortem examination is expected to provide further information on the circumstances of his death as investigations continue.
By Kithinji Njeru
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