How stolen phone exposed killer behind Baringo businesswoman's murder
Courts
By
Yvonne Chepkwony
| Dec 16, 2025
A stolen victim’s phone led to the conviction of a confessed serial killer in Baringo County.
Four years ago, Moses Kipchirchir hit the headlines after he was found in possession of the phone of a local businesswoman, Veronica Kanini, who was killed in Mogotio, Baringo County.
His arrest unravelled the murders he had allegedly committed in the past, with bodies buried in shallow graves.
Kipchirchir was convicted last week after Kabarnet High Court Judge Rachel Ngetich observed that he was found with Kanini’s phone and was the last person seen with her.
The judge noted that Kanini was last seen with Kipchirchir, who admitted in court to receiving Sh4,800 transferred from Kanini’s phone to his own.
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“Kipchirchir provided no credible explanation for having Kanini’s phone shortly after she was reported missing,” the court observed.
Kanini’s daughter, Rahab Wanjiru, said her mother boarded a vehicle from Nakuru to Mogotio at 6am and promised to return by noon.
She said her mother failed to return home, which caused concern, and efforts to reach her by phone were futile. At around 10pm, the phone kept switching on and off.
She later learnt from her father that her mother had been kidnapped.
Kanini’s husband, Mariko Njuguna, said he had travelled to Nairobi and had agreed with his wife that she would call once she arrived in Mogotio.
He said she called him at around 4pm, saying she was about to leave Mogotio.
Njuguna travelled back to Nakuru and, upon arriving home, noticed missed calls on his phone, which had earlier been switched off.
A neighbour informed him that his wife had called, claiming she was in hospital and needed Sh3,000 for treatment.
“I called her, and she asked me to send the money so that she could leave where she was. She said she would explain everything later, but I could hear someone telling her to speak Swahili,” he said.
After sending the money, his wife called back and said that after withdrawing the cash, they would release her.
Sensing danger, Kanini’s husband reported the matter at the DCI office in Mogotio.
At around 11pm, his wife’s phone, which had been switched off, was turned on.
The following day at around 4pm, detectives arrested Kipchirchir.
Kanini’s body was discovered 14 days after she disappeared, buried in a shallow grave and doused with acid.
Rosemary Chebiwot, a posho mill operator, testified that Kipchirchir was her casual worker. She said Kanini visited her workplace on November 11, 2021, asking for him.
Chebiwot offered Kanini a seat as she waited. While waiting, Kanini sold her tablecloths.
The two agreed on a price of Sh3,500, with Chebiwot paying a deposit of Sh1,000 and promising to pay the balance the following day.
The next day, Kanini returned and was paid Sh2,000 after saying she needed to settle a debt. She again asked for Kipchirchir, who was not present.
Investigating officer Johnson Wambulwa testified that, with the help of the intelligence bureau, they established that Kanini’s phone was switched off in Mogotio.
Wambulwa said they traced Kipchirchir and found him in possession of Kanini’s phone.
Kipchirchir was arrested, and investigations revealed that Sh4,800 had been transferred from Kanini’s phone to his.
On November 23, he led police to the Molo River, where Kanini’s body was buried in a shallow grave.
Pathologist George Biketi testified that Kanini died from strangulation and had been sexually assaulted before her death.
In his defence, Kipchirchir denied involvement in the murder, claiming that Kanini had sold him bed covers but failed to deliver, and that he later returned the money he had paid.
However, the judge noted that Kipchirchir failed to provide a credible explanation for being found with Kanini’s phone shortly after she was reported missing.