Catholic nun Sister Caroline Kanjiru will serve as a state witness. Police earlier detained her over the killing of her colleague, Sister Anselimina Karimi.

Karimi managed Meru Children’s Home in Nkabune near Meru town. She died on October 12 at age 65. Detectives found her body in her house, lying on her back with blood from her head.

The Meru Magistrate’s Court gave DCI officers 14 days to hold Sister Kanjiru. They needed time to check phone records and DNA samples.

On Monday, DCI officer Patrick Wachira told the court that investigations cleared Sister Kanjiru. “We reviewed homicide reports, call data, and interviewed witnesses,” he said. “We found no link between her and the crime.”

Senior Principal Magistrate Susan Ndegwa ordered her release. Lawyer Kiautha Arithi, representing the Catholic Diocese of Meru, praised the ruling. He urged police to speed up the search for the killers.

A post-mortem showed a blunt object struck Karimi’s head. The blow broke her neck and injured her hands and legs. Reports show the attackers tied, tortured, and beat her before killing her.

Police believe the attackers lured Karimi from her home, killed her elsewhere, and returned the body. Detectives traced activity on her phone around midnight, shortly before they found her body.

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