According to government pathologist Johansen Oduor, Rita Waeni was beheaded after being strangled

An autopsy conducted on the severed head of Rita Waeni Muendo, a murdered university student, revealed that she was strangled and subsequently decapitated. Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor shared these findings on Thursday, January 25, following a postmortem examination at City Mortuary in Nairobi. Oduor also disclosed evidence of bruising on Waeni’s scalp caused by a blunt object.

“The main findings were that the head had been chopped off from the neck at the level of C5 (vertebrae on the neck). There was bruising on the scalp caused by a blunt object. We also saw some fractures on bones,” Oduor stated during a press briefing. “I can comfortably conclude that the cause of death was strangulation after which she was decapitated and her body dumped.”

The family of the deceased identified a human head recovered from a dam as belonging to Waeni based on features such as her forehead, hair, and teeth. This identification allowed pathologists, led by Chief Oduor, to conduct an autopsy on the head to determine the circumstances of her death on January 13 in an apartment in Roysambu, Nairobi.

Detectives are considering the possibility that Waeni’s murder is linked to an ongoing occultism trend in the country. The investigation team is exploring occultism as one of the potential motives behind this cold-blooded murder.

The dismembered body of Waeni was discovered in a dustbin at an apartment on TRM Drive, Kasarani, but her head was missing. The head was later found wrapped in a purple female blouse and placed in a green carrier bag with a stone.

The family initially struggled to identify the head last Monday at the City Mortuary. It had been recovered from the dam in Kiambu on Sunday, January 21. The autopsy on the head was initially scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed to Thursday, with detectives from the DCI homicide unit citing unreadiness.

Locals found the human head floating in Ite Dam at Kimuga village, Kimuga sub-location, Kiambaa location. On Sunday, January 21, two Nigerians were arrested in connection with the murder. Items recovered from their residence included a hatchet, butcher’s knife, a national identity card belonging to Omar Mwamkwaju Juma, six mobile phones, three laptops, and 10 SIM cards from different telecom service providers.