Njeri, Mukundi were opposite in character but so deeply in love

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Philomena Njeri, who was killed by her husband on Tuesday, was a jovial, party-loving woman who ate life with a large spoon but was unfulfilled.

According to Njeri's friends, she wanted a child so badly that she kept talking about babies.

"She had lived her life and after her birthday in March this year, her desire to give birth grew," said Anne Wambui, who was her friend.


Wambui said Njeri's close friend had died recently and it took a heavy toll on her.

"She told me her friend left a son behind, which leaves her mark behind, but if she (Njeri) died, she'd be buried and forgotten soon after," she said.

Wambui said she didn't know that Njeri was already pregnant and added that she must have been very happy if that was the case.

Njeri's desire for a child was made apparent as she spoke generally to people she wasn't so close to about wanting a child.

At one time while talking to Eloise Nyawira, a woman who sold her cosmetics, Njeri disclosed to her that it was time she got a baby.

"She once told me that at her age, she needed to get a child. It was so random," Nyawira said.

Njeri expressed her worry about not having a house help even though she was thinking of having a child.

Nyawira said Njeri was always so jovial and trusting that after her first encounter, she would send her money and ask her to deliver her cosmetics at Mlolongo.

"She called me last week and asked that I keep for her a skincare product. She was in the village then," Nyawira said.

The first time Njeri came to her shop at Garden City Mall, she was in the company of her husband, Jonathan Mukundi.

"The two were openly in love. It is difficult to explain what led them that far," Nyawira said.

She said Njeri was very friendly and remained her loyal client.

"Her husband treated her like a queen based on her WhatsApp status uploads," Nyawira said.

"She would post photos of herself having parties and when I probed or complimented her, Njeri would tell me that it was her husband treating her."

Their workers said that on March 23, Njeri held a lavish birthday party after which she left then showed up on Monday.


Njeri was the only girl in her family. The Star could not establish how many brothers she had.

According to her Facebook account, she went to Kerugoya High School and later Multimedia University.

Mukundi, on the other hand, dearly loved his bottle, was very gentle and joked only with close friends. He loved cars and dogs.

At their home in Kirigiti, Kiambu county, Mukundi invested heavily in security and from outside, everything smelled of affluence. Neighbours said he kept 12 German Shepherd guard dogs.

He also installed many CCTV cameras around the home, had an alarm bell at the gate, which is also fitted with cameras and a fingerprint access system.

The gate is made of heavy-duty metal and the high perimeter wall is rounded with an electric fence at the top. It is impossible to see anything from outside except for parts of the maisonette roof.

"He was gentle but would be easily provoked and just recently, a worker at his home stole a can of beer and Mukundi was so furious that he released his dogs on him," a worker said.

A neighbour, Joseph Kamau, said Mukundi could not stand having people he didn't know enter his compound.

"He would shout from the balcony, 'Unaingia huku ni kwa mamako'? He would then chase you away without listening to anything," Kamau said.

Kamau, however, said Mukundi loved his mother so much that she would visit her often. She stayed in Ruiru, Kiambu.

There have been claims that Makundi also had a wife and two children who live in Europe.

The 42-year-old was a licensed gun holder and worked with insurance companies where he bought written-off cars and sold spare parts at their shop in Mlolongo.

His wife worked at the shop. She is said to have been having an affair with an employee.

The body of the businessman was found alongside that of his wife hours after the incident had happened, having shot her three times in the head before turning the gun on himself.

They had been inside their bedroom, which had been locked from inside.

The two had separated for two months before they met on Monday. They were found on Tuesday evening.
 
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