Shock has gripped Bendera village, Lumakanda location in Lugari Sub County after a decomposing body of a 24-year-old woman believed to have been murdered was found dangling inside her shop.
The body was discovered by Mr. Aggrey Otude a resident who had gone to tether his animal to graze near the shop Sunday evening. According to Mr. Otude his attention was captured by an odorous smell, which was emanating from the direction leading to the shop and when he moved closer, he saw houseflies on the windows raising suspicion.
“I had gone to tie my cow there then I perceived the putrid smell from the shop prompting me to move closer and after seeing a lot of flies on the window I sensed something was wrong could’ve happened in the shop which had remained closed for five days,” said Mr. Otude.
He said he later informed his brother Albert Dudu who is the owner of the building before alerting police at Lumakanda station who visited the scene and on opening the door they were shocked to find the body of the woman, 24-year-old Maurine Nafula which had serious visible injuries dangling from the shop rafters.
Mr. Otude said the deceased and her husband who is not well known to the residents rented the building about one and a half week ago and they set up the shop, but on Tuesday night last week they decided to carry their stock and moved away claiming the place was not suitable for a shop and they could use the building for cereal
business instead. “I tried to question them why they had to move away at night but they told me there was nothing wrong and they were only relocating their business
to another place and intended to use the building to kickstart a maize business,” said Otude adding that they had cleared rent.
He said the shop had remained closed since Wednesday morning to Sunday when the body was discovered.
The deceased who was five months pregnant had a broken jaw with several teeth missing and serious injuries all over the body, an indication that she was tortured to death before her body was hanged inside the shop. “According to the neighbours, they suspect the woman was killed elsewhere and her body was hung in the shop. “With all this brutality she went through we could’ve heard her crying for help but this murder was done elsewhere and her body brought here at night,” they said.
Lugari Sub County criminal investigation officer Bakar Dnzovu led his officers to the scene and removed the body to Moi Teaching and Referral Mortuary for postmortem as they launched an investigation into the murder.