Thursday, September 11, 2025 - Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested Benson Maeka, the prime suspect in the gruesome arson attack at Nyamakoroto village, Nyamira County, that claimed the lives of four family members.
Maeka, who had been on the run since the attack, was nabbed
in Kibra, Nairobi,
following crucial leads volunteered by two individuals, a good Samaritan and a
close friend of the deceased.
Both recorded statements at Keroka Police Station, placing Maeka at the
scene of the crime.
According to investigators, on the day of the tragedy, Maeka
was seen withdrawing money at an M-Pesa shop in Kaplong.
In the company of three accomplices, he allegedly purchased
petrol from a nearby filling station using a jerrycan before heading to
Nyamakoroto.
The victims of the horrific attack were Maryanne Makini (Maeka’s
wife), her child, and her parents.
Reports indicate that Maryanne had left her matrimonial home
after a disagreement, and her parents resisted efforts by Maeka to reconcile.
Family members also claimed that Maryanne had raised
concerns about her husband’s suspicious behavior, often being seen in police
uniforms at night, despite not being an officer.
Maryanne, who was preparing to join Kisii University, had
reportedly kept secret the fact that she and Maeka lived in Kaplong.
Detectives believe that frustration over his wife’s defiance
and the resistance from her parents drove Maeka to commit the heinous act.
One surviving child, a Grade 6 pupil, told investigators
that the attackers spoke in a language she did not understand, raising
suspicion that Maeka might have hired accomplices from Kaplong, possibly from
the Kipsigis or Kamba communities.
For a week, detectives trailed Maeka before finally
cornering him in Kibra.
Investigators also noted that Maeka had never once visited
the home of his late wife and in-laws, a detail that further raised suspicion.
The victims are yet to be buried, as families await completion of postmortems and police investigations.
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