The family of the lady whose dismembered body was discovered at an apartment in TRM Drive Roysambu on Sunday, January 14, 2024, has broken silence amid ongoing outrage over the rise of femicide cases in the country.
Speaking to a local news outlet, the family of the victim who has since been identified as Rita Waeni Muendo, a 20-year-old student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), revealed that before her death she resided in Syokimau with her aunt.
According to the family, Waeni left home to visit a friend. However, on Sunday at around five in the morning, the father received a message from her daughter's phone number, demanding Ksh500,000 as ransom.
The message directed that money be sent within 24 hours.
Later, the family reported the matter to the police for investigation.
“With this message, the family reported the matter to the police and DCI, and investigations began,” the family stated in a statement noting at least two more messages demanding a ransom were sent.
According to the family, they were not given time to respond to the messages and maintains more messages were sent after she was killed.
“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,” the family noted.
Adding;
“We believe she was lured by her killer, who also tried to extort money from her family, even after killing her,” the family added.
Waeni's body parts were discovered inside a trash bag in the apartment by the caretaker on Sunday with her head missing.
In an update, authorities have so far arrested a male foreign national believed to be involved in the murder. The unidentified man was nabbed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) travelling using a Mozambican passport.
He has since been transferred to the Kasarani Police Station pending identification.
Notably, the matter remains under investigation and police are yet to confirm the suspect involvement in the gruesome murder.
