12/01/2024
JOHN MATARA was Polite, Humble and Religious Man
John Matara is being investigated for allegedly being a serial sexual offender who assaults
his victims. News of Matara's crimes shocked his neighbors at Kahawa West and his
childhood friends in Kisii County.
Halima Makena described the man being treated as the main suspect behind socialite
Starlet Wahu's murder as humble religious Man.
Apart from the murder case, Matara is also being investigated for allegedly being a serial
killer targeting female victims. However, his neighbours and childhood friends have described
him as a polite, harmless, and Godfearing man. According to Citizen TV, Halima Makena, a
food vendor near the house Matara was living in at Kahawa West, was shocked after
receiving the news that he was being investigated for murder and other cases of sexual
assault. Halima described Matara as polite and harmless and said that he didn't speak much
when ordering snacks from her.
For Halima Makena, a food vendor who used to sell bhajia to Matara, the news of his
involvement in a murder case and other cases of sexual assault was a big shock for a man
she considered polite and harmless.
What John Matara was doing in his childhood??
His childhood friends at Daraja Mbili in Kisii county, where the 34-year-old Matara grew up,
are yet to come to terms with the accusations facing one of their own. Two of his former
friends described Matara as a Godfearing Christian who led the youth in Bible study and
music. "I used to see him come to church early before you could start the lesson, he knows
how to sing...he sings well," Willis Ombegi, one of Matara’s childhood friends, said. For Zack
Owanda, even though human beings can change, Matara was a Godfearing man who knew
the Church during his childhood.
The police got access to the one-bedroomed abode in Kahawa West, where they found
several articles, including empty alcohol bottles, books and a laptop. According to the
caretaker there, Matara was secretive and would often be seen leaving with friends with
whom he drank at joints.
He remained indoors during the day but would leave in the dusk for his escapades, and then
return in the dead of the night, the caretaker said.
As told by the caretaker, Matara was not rich in the way he was portraying himself to his
victim.He was portrayed as a man who was, at times, struggling financially and would often
fail to settle his rental dues. "In December, he did not pay; when mom asked me to demand
the rent, Matara told me he only had KSh 10,000. He promised to clear the remaining KSh
2,000. The following day, I came, and he was not there," Mwangi stated. The 34-year-old hit
the headlines after being implicated in the murder of a Starlet Wahu, a Nairobi socialite
whose tragic death astounded Kenyans on January 6.
Pastor Kanyari's sister's death
Wahu had checked into an Airbnb apartment in South B with Matara when she met her
death. The couple had booked the place for a romantic getaway, but things took a tragic turn
when Starlet was stabbed multiple times in her thighs by her lover.
According to the police, Wahu bled to death from the wounds, while Matara fled the scene
with a stab wound of his own. He was later arrested at Mbagathi Hospital, where he had gone
to seek treatment. Police also recovered some shocking items from the crime scene,
including HIV test kits and used contraceptives. The motive, however, remained unclear, as
the suspect had not given any statement to the police. Matara was booked into custody for 21
days as the investigators concluded their probe.
