Man’s body found in sack at Machakos dam

Police officers in Matungulu, Machakos, are investigating an incident in which a man’s body was retrieved from a dam early Saturday.

The body of an unidentified adult male was found stashed inside a sack and dumped in a dam, where it was seen floating.

A police source told the Star that the man is suspected to have been killed elsewhere and his body transported to the area before being dumped in the dam.

“This looks like a murder incident. We have, however, launched investigations to find out the man’s cause of death,” the cop told the Star on phone.

The officer added that the suspects may have placed the body inside a sack in an attempt to conceal the crime.

Eyewitnesses claimed the body was chopped into pieces and placed inside a sack before being dumped in the dam.

Boda boda operators who discovered the body, led by their Kalandini area chairman, Boniface Kioko, said the deceased was not known to them. They also raised concerns over rising crime incidents in the area.

“We were alerted this morning of a suspicious sack which was floating in the dam. We rushed and confirmed the same,” Kioko told reporters at the scene shortly after the body was retrieved.

Kioko said they alerted officers from Kalandini police post, who, together with their counterparts from Tala police station, responded to the scene.

He said officers, boda boda operators and locals jointly retrieved the body from the water.

“The deceased isn’t a resident of this area. He had visible head injuries, wore gloves and an apron, and trousers,” an eyewitness said.

A photo of the deceased seen by the Star shows serious head injuries, bruises on most parts of the body, and his trousers were lowered. 

The man is suspected to have been hacked to death before his body was placed in a sack and dumped in the dam.

It is also suspected that he may have been strangled with a sisal rope that was used to tie the sack containing his body.

Kioko said they suspect the deceased could have been a boda boda rider who may have been robbed of his motorcycle before being killed.

The body was taken to Kangundo Level 4 Hospital mortuary, awaiting identification and postmortem.

In a separate incident in neighbouring Kitui County, a man is nursing serious gunshot wounds at Mwingi Level 4 Hospital after he was allegedly shot by camel herders on Friday evening.

The victim, Kyalo Masai, is said to have been herding livestock in Kanyunyi village, Mandongoi sub-location, Ngomeni Ward, when he was attacked by the camel herders and shot.