Detectives have arrested a man linked to the brutal murder of a teacher in Kirinyaga County following a months-long manhunt spanning multiple counties.

In a statement on Thursday, May 21, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said Peter Kanumbi was arrested in Lamu County while allegedly attempting to flee the country.

“A relentless manhunt by detectives from Lamu County in conjunction with their counterparts from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) based at county headquarters, Kerugoya, culminated in the arrest of Peter Kanumbi, a wanted murder suspect linked to the brutal killing of a teacher in Kirinyaga County,” the statement read.

According to detectives, the suspect had been in hiding since the killing of Betty Wanjiru Nyaga in Mwea East earlier this year.

“Kanumbi, who had gone into hiding after the murder of Betty Wanjiru Nyaga in Mwea East on March 12, 2026, was finally trailed and arrested following months of painstaking investigations and intelligence-led operations,” the statement added.

The DCI said officers tracked the suspect to Mpeketoni in Lamu County and moved in before he could allegedly escape across the border.

“Detectives trailed the suspect to Mpeketoni in Lamu County, where they swiftly moved in and cornered him moments before he could allegedly slip across the border into neighbouring Somalia in a desperate attempt to evade arrest,” the statement further read.

Following the arrest, the suspect was transported back to Kirinyaga County and presented before court as investigations continue.

“Following his arrest, Kanumbi was escorted back to Kirinyaga County and was today arraigned before the Kerugoya Law Courts, where detectives secured five days’ custodial order to allow completion of investigations,” the statement concluded.