How detectives trailed & arrested high-profile murder suspect after 1 year on the run

After more than a year on the run, sleuths from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations caught up with Ken Kimanthi Gichunuku, alias “Sultan” who was identified as the key suspect in the gruesome murder of Zetech University graduate, Seth Nyakio Njeri.

The suspect went into hiding in October 2024 after Nyakio’s lifeless body was discovered in inside Blessings Building in Biafra Estate, Thika Town.

READ: DCI names prime suspect in murder of MCA's daughter [Photo]

Nyakio left her parents’ home in Kamakis to visit a friend in Thika when her killers committed the heinous crime.

Nyakio’s murder came at a time when cases of femicide were on the rise, sparking outrage as pressure mounted on authorities to apprehend those behind the heinous crime.

Just six months earlier, Nyakio had a close brush with death after surviving a gruesome hit and run accident which left her in hospital with serious injuries, only for her cold-blooded killers to snap the life out of her.

Being the only daughter of Kirinyaga nominated Member of County Assembly (MCA) Lucy Njeri, politicians joined in the calls for justice with her murder making headlines.

The DCI widely circulated his photos, appealing for any information that could lead to his arrest over the gruesome murder.

READ: Kenya's top homicide detective breaks down how DCI forensics work

"The young man appearing in the photo below is the prime suspect in the murder of Miss Seth Nyakio Njeri, whose body was found at her friend's house at Biafra Estate within Thika township on October 10, 2024," read a statement released by the DCI.

Members of the public were further warned that the suspect is armed and dangerous, with details of his past criminal record heightening concerns.

He escaped police dragnet and relocated to Busia where he lived under the radar, hoping that his identity would remain hidden.

Confident in his scheme to evade justice, the suspect secured employment at a cereal distribution shop in the border town.

Relying on forensic leads and pain-stalking investigations that took months, detectives trailed him to Busia.

READ: Kirinyaga MCA shares tragic discovery of daughter's murder after disappearance

The suspect who was hiding in plain sight was apprehended in a sting operation on Saturday, December 13, 2025.

The suspect was is in lawful police custody awaiting processing and arraignment in court to answer to the charges.