A man jailed for the murder of a Catholic Church secretary in Embu County has claimed he was the victim of a cover-up involving police detectives and church officials.
Boniface Yakulula, 26, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Embu High Court after pleading guilty to killing 28-year-old Josephine Karimi and dumping her body in a disused pit latrine on 29 June 2023. Karimi worked at the St Mary’s Catholic Women Association centre in Kiaragana sublocation.
Yakulula, who had been a casual labourer at the church, told NTV’s Murder Tapes that he was coerced into confessing.
“When I was arrested, the DCI police officers told me that I could secure a deal with the courts, to plead guilty and say I committed the crime. Then they would only jail me for only 2 years.”
He alleged that detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, working with church leaders, pressured him to remain silent about what he knew of the killing. He named a Police Constable as the officer who allegedly negotiated a false statement and wrote his confession.
According to Yakulula, Karimi’s office was open but unattended on the day she went missing. He claimed a Catholic priest instructed him to hide knowledge of her whereabouts and to cut grass over a hole in the compound, later revealed as the site where her body was found.
He alleged he was paid 400,000 shillings to keep quiet and later drugged to facilitate a finding that he was mentally unfit. The money, according to Yakulula was then taken from his house while he was in custody.
Her body was discovered five days later after Yakulula led detectives to the latrine. An autopsy revealed broken bones, suggesting a violent attack.
Yakulula now claims his personal phone, which he says contains evidence of the true culprits, was never presented in court. He insists church officials know what happened and says he fears for his life after speaking out.
According to NTV the church officials have declined to speak on the accusations, with the center official seriously mentioned, insisting that she is unaware of any financial transactions between Yakulula and the priest.
Karimi’s death has left her family devastated. Her father said the loss was made worse by unanswered questions over how and why she was killed.
