Kithuka Kimunyi, the man who on Monday stormed State House and fatally shot an elite police officer using a bow and arrow being arrested by the Police. Photo Courtesy. 
By Andrew Mbuva and Ryan Mumo
The family of Kithuka Kimunyi, the man who on Monday stormed State House and fatally shot an elite police officer using a bow and arrow, has described him as a mentally unstable and violent individual.
At Kalima village in Kalawa Ward, Makueni County—Kimunyi’s rural home—the mood remains tense as relatives struggle to comprehend his final actions. According to his daughter, Ann Muoki, her late father had battled erratic behavior and isolation for years, making it difficult for the family to live with him.
“He was often violent and unpredictable. Even when he ran his hotel business, customers avoided the place because of his temper,” Ann said, recalling her father’s troubling past.
Before his mental health deteriorated, Kimunyi had worked in several hotels in Mombasa and Wote, before venturing into his own business in Kathiani township. The business eventually collapsed, a turning point that seemed to worsen his condition.
Ann narrated how Kimunyi’s erratic actions became more evident after he closed his hotel. At one point, he destroyed terraces he had earlier dug on their sloping farmland, exposing the land to erosion.
“He just decided one day to flatten the trenches without consulting anyone. No one could question him,” she said.
According to the family, Kimunyi left home early Monday morning after giving his wife Ksh.1,000 for a church fundraiser, telling her to return Ksh.500 for his fare to Nairobi.
“He told our mother that he was traveling to Nairobi but never disclosed why. She tried reaching him the whole day, but his phone went unanswered,” revealed Catherine Mutisya, Kimunyi’s daughter-in-law.
Relatives later learned that Kimunyi had boarded a 4 a.m. matatu to Nairobi. Later that day, the family received a distressing phone call from a stranger asking if they knew Kimunyi — the call that confirmed their worst fears.
Shocked and in disbelief, relatives Japheth Nzangi and Musyoka Kasemei said they could not imagine that Kimunyi, despite his mental struggles, would carry out such a daring and tragic attack.
“We never thought he could plan or even have the courage to do something like that,” they said.
The family is now calling for understanding, describing Kimunyi’s actions as those of a disturbed man whose condition had long gone untreated.
