The grieving family of a 20-year-old who was discovered brutally murdered in a Roysambu apartment, has now shared the chilling details of her abduction, and the perpetrators’ demand for ransom.
The girl has been identified as Rita Waeni Muendo, a 20-year-old JKUAT student in her 3rd year of studies.
On the fateful day, the girl’s father received a message demanding him to pay hefty Ksh500,000 ransom within 24 hours to secure Rita’s release. The family then promptly reported the incident to the police and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
According to the family spokesperson, Dr. Lilian Mutea, the situation escalated when the family received two additional ransom messages.
“Unfortunately, the family did not get further details about the ransom or an opportunity to explore this route. Additionally, some demands were made when she had already been murdered,” explained Dr. Mutea.
Subsequent police investigations revealed that Muendo had unfortunately been brutally murdered by this time. Shockingly, it was uncovered that the killer had tried to extort money even after taking Rita’s life.
“We are broken and our lives have been shattered, at the loss of Waeni, and especially how she was killed. Her parents, siblings, and our entire family are yet to come to terms with this tragic event,” the grieving family added.
Rita Muendo’s last moments
Detectives from the DCI reconstructed the final moments leading to Muendo’s death along TRM Drive in Roysambu, Karasani.
According to records of conversations between Rita and the suspected murderer, the victim was hesitant to meet the suspect at the rented AirBnB. The man was however able to convince Rita his intentions were harmless.
He further went ahead to provide her with directions to the rental house. The victim followed him to the location, not knowing what lay ahead.
Tragically, this was Rita’s last day as the suspect committed the heinous murder and dismembered her body.
The assailant then disposed of the body parts in a garbage bag and cleaned the crime scene to eliminate evidence. The suspect absconded with the victim’s head and failed to return the house keys as instructed by the owner.
Hours later, the apartment caretaker discovered the disturbing contents of the dustbin. He then alerted the police who retrieved the body parts.
The main suspect, along with two others, were apprehended on Tuesday at JKIA.
According to authorities, they traced the prime suspect to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as he attempted to flee to Abuja, Nigeria.
