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Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura has broken his silence following the killing of blogger Peris Mugera whose body was identified days after she was reported missing.
In a terse address delivered at Nyayo House during the distribution of relief food to needy Muslim faithful to mark the holy month of Ramadan, Murkomen condemned the blogger’s killing, noting that acts of violence will not silence the diverse opinions expressed through new media.
He lamented that such killings continue to tarnish Kenya’s image at a time when the country has made significant strides in upholding freedom of expression, free speech and media freedom.
“The government wishes to condemn in the strongest terms the persistent killing of bloggers, the latest one being in Tharaka Nithi county. Bloggers have the right to express themselves on various topics because the media landscape has been democratized, and bloggers play a crucial role in disseminating valuable information,” Mwaura stated.
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Newly-appointed government spokesperson, Isaac Mwaura
Mugera left home after telling her two children that she would meet a friend and proceed to work.
READ: Blogger Peris Mugera's last minutes alive before her body was found in Kirinyaga
Unknown to them, this was the last time that they would see their mother alive as she failed to return in the evening as promised.
Frantic search and identification of body
The children alerted the landlord after Mugera failed to return with her friends and relatives alerted.
A frantic search that lasted several days was mounted with the 40-year-old reported missing on March 1, 2024.
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Peris Mugera
The deceased’s body was picked along the Makutano-Sagana highway on March 1, 2024 with her body identified by her family on March 8, 2024.
“It was reported today at 0800hrs that along Makutano-Sagana highway there was a body of an unknown female adult lying on the road. Police officers led by OCS Kiamaciri police station, DCI officers and CSI from Kerugoya rushed to the scene and confirmed that the body of an unknown female adult aged approximately 30 years was found lying dead on the roadside," the police report noted.
Her death came just month after yet another blogger, Daniel Muthiani reported missing only for his body to be recovered in a river.
An autopsy done on the body revealed that the blogger met his death after being strangled on the neck.
According to Government pathologist Johansen Oduor who conducted the postmortem, the deceased had marks on his neck and exhibited signs of lacking oxygen prior to death, pointing to the direction of being strangled to death.