Shock as police reveal Rita Waeni’s killer spoke Swahili

Witnesses involved in the murder investigation of a female university student in a Roysambu apartment, Nairobi, have reported that the killer spoke Swahili during interactions with them. Describing the killer as young, light-skinned, and familiar with the area, the witnesses, including the apartment owner and two other men, participated in an identification parade at Kasarani police station. They will be held in custody for ten days as police probe the murder of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology student Rita Waeni Muendo.

The witnesses were charged for failing to maintain records of the killer at Green House Apartments, as required by law. Waeni was killed and dismembered in a rented apartment, and the witnesses’ cooperation with recording details would have aided the investigation. During the identification parade, they confirmed that the killer spoke Swahili.

The owner of the apartment and an agent reported that the killer communicated in Swahili while booking the room, leading the police to release a foreigner initially arrested at the airport for suspicion of being the killer. The released individual did not understand Swahili and did not match the witnesses’ description.

The investigation revealed that Waeni and her killer had connections on Instagram. The family identified Waeni as a fourth-year student at Jomo Kenyatta University and disclosed that the killer demanded a ransom of Sh500,000. The family received messages from Waeni’s phone demanding the ransom within 24 hours. Tragically, Waeni’s body parts were discovered in an apartment, with her head missing. The family believes she was lured by her killer, who continued to extort money even after her death. The motive behind the crime remains unclear.