Grief has gripped Ndekei, Kariua and Kiriko villages in Gatundu North, Kiambu County, after a middle-aged woman was found dead inside Karimenu river.

Peter Mbuthia Kihara, the Kariua sub-location Assistant Chief, confirmed the incident, noting that the body of the unidentified woman was found floating in the waters.

Clothes, including a pullover, skirt, blouse and an assortment of drugs were found just on the bank of the river – close to where the body was discovered.

According to Beth Mugure, a local who had gone to harvest nappier grass for her livestock, she saw clothes near the river, an unusual thing that shifted her attention.

The woman, she said, was wearing her undergarments and a blouse, while her other clothes lay beside the river.

Mugure alerted the villagers – who milled at the scene to witness.

The police were immediately called to the scene, and facilitated the recovery of the body from the river.

It is not yet clear what may have led to her death, although others labeled it a case of suspected death by suicide.

Residents and authorities from the area have called on suffering women to seek alternative help from churches, fellow women or chiefs to avert such incidences from recurring.

According to the villagers, many locals were going through tough times occasioned by tough economic times, diseases and social problems.

The body was moved to General Kago mortuary in Thika town awaiting a postmortem