Five Months On: Rita Waeni’s Family Demands Justice, Mother Names Suspect on CCTV
Five months have passed since the murder of Rita Waeni, a 20-year-old Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) student, was discovered. Her family is questioning why the primary suspect remains free.
In an investigative feature called Crimes Untold by journalist Franklin Wallah, Waeni’s family shared that they haven’t received any updates from the investigators since two Nigerian suspects were released in February.
Waeni’s mother said her daughter mentioned someone she was communicating with, who seemed sophisticated and promised to introduce her to them.
She said, “I knew the person as C.M. (name withheld), but I was unaware of the platform they were using to communicate.”
In Waeni’s final conversation, she told her aunt she planned to meet the man for dinner at a public mall on Thika Road.
“I left her at home around 3:30 pm when she texted to say she was meeting the man. I then called her mother,” said the aunt.
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Her mother mentioned that her daughter felt she should meet the suspect as he claimed to be leaving the country on Sunday, January 14, the day after the incident.
“We discussed it, and she mentioned she was meeting a friend who was traveling abroad, so they planned to have an early dinner, but we didn’t speak again after that,” she explained.
Waeni left their home in Syokimau in the afternoon and headed to the location in Roysambu.
Their conversations showed that Waeni tried to delay the meeting for several reasons, but the suspect persuaded her to go ahead with it.
CCTV footage showed Waeni and the suspect walking towards a rented short-stay apartment for the night.
A video Waeni recorded that night displayed the living room with drinks on the table and music in the background, though it didn’t show the suspect’s face.
Waeni’s father said he spoke with Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) head Mohamed Amin, who assured him they had the means to track down and apprehend the suspect.
“I appeal to the DCI chief, Inspector General, and the president, who is the highest authority. If the president learns about this case, action will be taken,” Waeni’s father stated.
Five Months On: Rita Waeni’s Family Demands Justice, Mother Names Suspect on CCTV