Death in Juja dam: Married man, mysterious woman and car in water

It was supposed to be a fine Tuesday evening where a married man had taken his secret lover to the outskirts of Thika town away from the public eye, 19  kilometres from his matrimonial home in Kiambu County.

The choice of venue was both scenic and strategic. An open area with a serene dam in Juja.

It is an area that has become popular with lovers who carry soft drinks or liquor to imbibe as they enjoy views of the killer dam.

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A visit to the area by Nation reveals a fun spot beloved by many: there are beer bottles strewn all over the ground with locals saying the place is usually crowded over the weekend, especially on evenings. Most of the revellers, they say, are non-locals who drive in with their cars to enjoy the space and serenity the dam offers.

But for Tirus Maina, 39, and an unidentified woman, they were not so lucky this time. When they visited the area to unwind, they ended up dying together when their vehicle plunged into the dam. They died almost instantly, witnesses say. 

Mr Maina had packed his Nissan X-trail at the edge of the dam and police sources, Kiambu fire and emergency department that retrieved their bodies, as well as the motor vehicle, told Nation they suspect two theories into the incident.

One theory is that Mr Maina might have been drunk and instead of reversing the vehicle, he drove into the dam either by mistake or intentionally and sank.

Another theory police are pursuing is that of a probable suicide theory.

Yesterday, Juja OCPD Phylis Muthoni, whose incident happened under her jurisdiction, told Daily Nation that preliminary investigations have revealed that Mr Maina may have driven the motor vehicle into the river but maintained that they are still on the case to understand what really happened.

”We managed to retrieve the vehicle yesterday from the dam and  we found it on drive mode meaning  the deceased(Mr Maina) may have drove the vehicle into the dam by mistake. We are not ruling out any other factors into the incident and that is why because we are investigating the incident  I do not want  to discuss it further until full  investigations  are complete,’’ Ms Muthoni told Nation.

Sarah Kiiru, the official wife to the deceased yesterday told Nation that she never suspected that his husband was engaging in extra marital affairs outside marriage and was really saddened and shocked by his death.

She told Nation that the husband, a contractor, left their home in Thika on Tuesday morning telling her that he was going to Kathiani, Machakos county where he was going to inspect a project that he had recently secured.

”My husband  left home on Tuesday morning  as usual and informed me that he was going to inspect a project that he had recently won in Kathiani, Machakos  county. A friend who knows the registration of my husband motor vehicle would later inform me  that  his motor vehicle had plunged into a river and it was being reported on social media  that  he was with a woman in a compromising situation  when they drove into a dam in Juja,’’ Ms Kiiru said.

She never suspected  that her husband was being involved in a love affair with another woman since they  did not have trouble in their marriage but regrets that he did not have to die in such a situation.

”We have one child  with him  and its unfortunate on how he met his death. He could  have avoided it,’’ she said regrettably

On Thursday, Ms Kiiru together with her in-laws camped at City Mortuary, Nairobi where the postmortem on the body of Mr Maina was set to be done.

It is at the same facility that the body of the woman was with when they drowned is lying unclaimed with sources at the morgue saying no one has claimed its ownership.

”The family of Mr Maina is here for the postmortem but the lady he was with when their vehicle plunged into a dam in Juja  and  died has not been claimed by anyone and it is a bit difficult to know her real identity,’’ a morgue attendant who cannot be named as he is not allowed to speak to the press on behalf of the facility told Nation in confidence yesterday.

Nation