Nakuru - What began as a digital space for communal grief has ended in shock, confusion, and betrayal.

When M-Pesa agent Hannah Waithera was reported missing on May 21, the news triggered concern and a flurry of social media activity.

Her decomposing body was discovered two days later at Technology Farm, replacing hope with grief.

In a show of unity, her husband Zachary Wambugu, a local car dealer, formed a WhatsApp group titled “Hannah Waithera Send Off” on May 28.

The aim was clear: to update members on burial plans and raise funds to give the late Waithera a dignified send-off.

The group swelled to 223 members, largely comprised of Wambugu’s contacts, friends, family, business associates, and journalists who had picked up her story.

Wambugu asked for emotional and financial support in his opening message to the group, sharing that the funeral budget was KSh 500,000.

MtaaWangu reports that the widower offered his number as the contribution line and promised frequent updates.

“Let us give Hannah the farewell she deserves,” he wrote in one of his posts, drawing sympathy from group members who began sending their condolences and money.

An update from Wambugu on the post-mortem results, shared with the group, claimed that Waithera had been poisoned.

By June 2, at least KSh 53,000 had been contributed by 10 members. But everything changed that same day.

News broke across local media that Zachary Wambugu had been arrested in connection with his wife’s murder.

The same man who had cried for help in the group was now the prime suspect in the very tragedy that brought everyone together.

Messages flooded the WhatsApp group — not of condolences, but of confusion and disbelief.

“Is this real?” one member asked.

Another said, “How do you create a group to mourn someone you might have killed?”

Some felt betrayed, others heartbroken. One member, Nderitu, didn’t hold back.

“Let me give God a big applause because I prayed that our daughter, sister, cousin and the future of this nation will not be put to rest before her killers were arrested. Thanks, Jehovah.”

As silence descended on the group’s administrators, members were left piecing together the emotional and financial mess.

Contributions stopped instantly. Questions about refunds, accountability, and moral responsibility replaced earlier prayers and eulogies.

Despite the chaos, a final message was shared confirming that Waithera would be buried on Thursday, June 5, even as the man who organised her send-off sat in police custody.

On June 6, Nakuru Principal Magistrate Vincent Adet ruled that Wambugu be detained for 14 more days as investigations continued.

For many of the WhatsApp group members, the group still exists — but not as a space for mourning anymore.

It stands now as a stark reminder of a community’s love hijacked by an unexpected twist, where grief united them, but truth broke them apart.

Source: TUKO.co.ke