Nyeri Residents Protest After Missing Girl Found Dead in Pit Latrine
News Updated: 10 February 2026 20:16 EAT
Residents in Mathira, Nyeri County, staged protests on Tuesday after the body of a nine-year-old girl, Shantel Waruguru Kagema, was found in a pit latrine days after she went missing. The tragedy has sparked outrage and grief in the local community.
The girl disappeared on Sunday, February 8, while at home with her younger sister. Her family reported her missing after returning home to find her gone, prompting an urgent search by local authorities.
Detectives from Mathira West Police Station and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrested a neighbour, Peter Njuguna, who is alleged to have lured the girl and later led authorities to the location of her body.
Angry residents marched on the Nairobi–Nanyuki Highway, blocking the busy road with stones and bonfires. They demanded justice for the child and accountability from law enforcement agencies, citing delays in the investigation following her disappearance.
Police responded by deploying tear gas to disperse the crowds, prompting further tension between officers and community members. Many locals accused the police of using excessive force during the protest.
The child’s body was retrieved and taken to the Nyeri County Referral Hospital mortuary for an autopsy and forensic analysis. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing to establish the full circumstances of her death.
The suspect is expected to appear in court on charges related to the girl’s death, as detectives continue to collect evidence and piece together the events leading to the tragedy.
Local leaders and community elders have called for calm, urging residents to allow law enforcement and the judicial system to handle the case while also highlighting the need for stronger child protection measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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FELIX MAKONA
FACT FINDER AND DATA DRIVEN JOURNALIST. DATA MINING AT IT'S BEST. GET FACTS RANGING FROM MATTERS DISABILITY AND INCLUSION, POLITICS, ECONOMY, SPORTS AND GENERAL NEWS AROUND THE WORLD