Valerian Njeri, murdered Form Two girl, finally laid to rest

Valerian Njeri, the 15-year-old Form Two girl who was stabbed to death a week ago, was on Thursday laid to rest in an emotional send off at their home on the outskirts of Naivasha town.

Church leaders, led by Father Jude Kariuki and David Shirima who conducted the burial ceremony, described the deceased as an epitome of discipline with strong Christian values.

Father Shirima called on area residents to forgive the girl’s killer and continue working closely with his family so as not to make them feel neglected following the boy’s act.

Leaders and mourners in attendance, including area MCA John Njuguna, regretted the incident terming Njeri’s death as untimely, further asking parents to closely monitor their kids.

According to police accounts, Njeri met her death when she returned a Chemistry book she had borrowed from a neighbour who started making sexual advances at her.

She reportedly refused the 17-year-old boy’s advances and a fight ensued, during which she overwhelmed him and tried running away but he took the knife he was using to chop French beans to stab her.

The knife reportedly broke and Njeri was still breathing, so he rushed to the kitchen, grabbed another knife and delivered more blows.

“He then dragged the body under his bed where it remained overnight,” said Naivasha DCI Chief Kenneth Njoroge.

During the incident in Mirera estate 20km from Naivasha town, the suspect would later meticulously clean the room and the body, drag it under the bed and later share a meal with his family.

He returned to his room, with the body still under the bed and waited for his parents to sleep.

Slightly before dawn, it is believed that he woke up, dragged the body and placed it outside.

When his parents woke up, a few minutes after 5am on Friday, he had already disposed the body and had his books spread on the table.

He was among people who had been questioned by Njeri’s parents on whether he knew where she was, and he had said he did not see her.

It took the eye of one policeman to notice something was not right; the boy had a cut on his foot, and his shorts had traces of dried blood.

When they shone some ultraviolet light in his room, they noticed a blood trail that led to his bed, after which they took him in for questioning and he confessed.

Police say the boy told them that Njeri, a student at Mary Leaky Secondary, had gone to consult him over a Chemistry question.