The Kenyan Police has arrested two Nigerian men, identified as William Ovie Opia,and Johnbull Asbor, in connection with the gruesome killing and mutilation of a 20-year-old student Rita Waeni, the Police said.
The two were arraigned in court but, but are yet to be charged. Rita Waeni, an undergraduate student of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) was found brutally murdered in a short-term rental apartment on January 14 in the capital Nairobi.
Her dismembered remains were discovered in the apartment, packed in waste bags, but her head was not found. Her mobile phone was also missing at the scene.
The shocking incident triggered an uproar across Kenya and beyond, with individuals and groups calling for urgent action to be taken to address the escalating perpetration of violence against women and girls.
Shortly after Rita’s murder, the Kenyan Police apprehended four Kenyans, including Priscila Maina, the owner of the apartment where the incident happened.
The four suspects are still in police custody, including another suspect that was picked as he made to leave the country. A Mozambican passport was found on him.
Police maintained that the latest suspects, William Ovie Opia,and Johnbull Asbor are Nigerians. While Mr Opia was found with an expired Nigerian passport, Mr Asbor had no passport, as he had lost it two years ago, the Police said.
Mr Opia and Mr Asbor were arrested in Ndenderu, a town about 20km (12 miles) from Nairobi and near a dam. This is the same location where a human head, believed to be Rita’s, along with other items like her phone, were recovered by the Police.
While investigations into the brutal killing are ongoing, groups are planning a nationwide protest to send a strong message about the rate of violence against women and girls. The protest is to urge the government to take proactive steps towards curbing the menace in the country, where the female gender is constantly at risk of one form of violence or the other.