The government updates the investigation on Rita Waeni’s missing “head.”
State investigative agencies are still working to determine if the human head discovered at a dam in Kiambu two weeks ago belongs to Rira Waeni. Waeni, a student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), was killed at a short-stay rental apartment in Kasarani, Nairobi, in January 2024.
Corporal Philip Kilonzo from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ (DCI) Homicides Unit informed a Makadara court that specimens from the head had been collected and sent to the Government Analyst for comparison with body parts recovered at the apartment. However, the results are pending.
The detective sought an extension of custodial orders for two Nigerian men, William Ovie Opia and Johnbull Asbor, who were arrested in Ndenderu, Kiambu County, the same day the head was discovered. They were residing not far from the location where they were detained.
Cpl. Kilonzo informed Senior Principal Magistrate Agnes Wahito Mwangi that the Homicides Unit took over the investigation on January 22 and is yet to interview the two suspects to determine their places of residence.
The detective mentioned that the DCI had requested confirmation of the nationality of the two men and the status of their passports from the immigration department.
Additionally, a laptop and mobile phones were seized from the suspects at the time of arrest. These items were forwarded to Cybercrime experts for analysis, with the results still pending.
“The investigating team is still awaiting the call data records and analysis of the SIM cards recovered to establish if they were involved in the planning of the heinous act,” stated Cpl. Kilonzo in the court-filed affidavit.
Given the ongoing investigations and potential flight risks, the detective argued that the two suspects should remain in custody until the investigations are concluded. The court remanded them at the Ruaraka police station until February 15 when the DCI is expected to present them in court.
