The family of an 82-year old woman from Gatanga, Murang'a County, is seeking justice after their grandmother was brutally murdered at her home following what appears to be a land dispute.
Lydia Wanjiru Chege passed on while receiving treatment at St Mulumba Hospital in Thika where she had been transferred after being shortly admitted at the Thika Level Five Hospital.
The granny had reportedly been raped and acid thrown on her face before being dumped at the place where a neighbour found her in much pain on Monday morning.
"She seemed to have been hit on the head using a blunt object since she had visible injuries. They also doused what we think is some acid since her skin had peeled off from one side of her face probably out of acid burns," Francis Chege, the granny's grandson said as quoted by Thika Town Today.
He added: "There has been a longstanding family dispute here involving this land. She reported several previous attacks to the area chief."
An elder in the area, Stephen Ng’ang’a, revealed that Chege had narrated the incident when she was found by a neighbour, adding that she had forgiven the attackers.
“She was in deep pain but she forced herself to speak where she said she had forgiven her attackers and that she did not want to carry the grudge to heaven. We told her that she would recover but on Tuesday morning we received reports that she had died,” said Ng’ang’a, as quoted by the Nation.
Confirming the incident, Gatanga OCPD Beatrice Kiraguri said they were investigating the matter and urged residents to remain calm.
"We had taken the statements from the deceased who had described how the man who raped her looked like and we have started investigations. I appeal to locals to main calm and not to take the law into their own hands," said the OCPD.
The family now wants the police to help bring the culprits to book noting that the suspects, including the deceased's co-wife, who had been arrested in connection to the incident have since been released.