Joint police teams in Nakuru and Nyandarua are investigating the murder of a Catholic priest.

Police picked Fr John Maina Ndegwa from the roadside after he was found unconscious and with serious injuries.

Bishop Joseph Mbatia of Nyahururu Diocese said the Priest was rushed to St Mary Hospital in Gilgil town but was declared dead upon arrival..

Ndegwa was the Father in charge of the Igwamiti Catholic Parish of Nyandarua.

According to police, he was found on the roadside in Kikopey, Gilgil of Nakuru on Friday, May 16, over 50 kilometres from his workstation.

Police said they suspect he was injured elsewhere and his body was dumped at the site.

The motive of the murder is, however, yet to be known.

A homicide team has joined the probe, officials said.

The team is trying to trace his last moments before he was found dead.

They have so far talked to people who were seen with him last as part of the probe.

"An autopsy will give us more on the way forward," said an officer in the team.

Police said his vehicle, a Subaru, is missing, and efforts to trace it are ongoing.

Detectives suspect that the priest was murdered elsewhere and his body dumped at Kikopey on the Nakuru-Nairobi highway in Gilgil.

According to Gilgil DCI head Rahamad Wasilwa, the priest’s body appeared to have been dumped at the location, raising suspicions that he could have been killed elsewhere.

Nyandarua Senator John Methu mourned the priest.

“We're in deep shock to learn of the very sudden death of Rev. Father John Maina Ndegwa of Igwamiti parish. Father Maina hosted H.E. Rigathi Gachagua, EGH and our team a fortnight ago for the parish's family day. May your soul, my good friend, rest in peace,” he said in a post on Facebook.

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At the weekend, the Bishop, Priests and Faithful gathered in St Louis Church in Igwamiti Parish, where the priest used to serve, to pray for his soul.

Other faithful took to social media to mourn him.

Locals said he was a devoted shepherd and a source of spiritual strength to many.

His demise has sent shockwaves through the religious community and beyond, coming just two weeks after he hosted former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and other dignitaries at a high-profile fundraiser.

A postmortem will be conducted on the body at St Benedict Catholic Mission Hospital to give more details into the death and help with the investigations.