Nairobi News

Must Read

DCI arrest man who killed woman and left her body in rented house


The suspected serial killer charged with murder after a dismembered body of an unidentified woman was found inside his house in Umoja, Nairobi is awaiting high court’s determination on his application for bond.

David Migwi Kariuki was charged with murder after the unknown woman’s body was retrieved from his house before it was dumped in Umoja.

The suspect seduced the woman and took her to his house where he is believed to have killed her on an unknown date and time last month, then wrapped her into four separate bales using wedding décor materials before moving houses.

Kariuki was later traced and arrested in Ruai where he had relocated after the incident.

The body had been dumped by a garbage collector hired by Kariuki’s landlady Nancy Wanja and caretaker to her buildings Nicholas Kimanthi. The deceased woman has never been identified.

He denied the charges before Justice Grace Ngenye of Milimani law courts last week and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) opposed bail and bonds for him.

DCI’s inspector John Kanampiu who is investigating the case has sworn the affidavit to oppose Kariuki being freed pending trial.

Latest murder

Kanampiu said the woman in the latest murder has not been identified and investigations are ongoing, and Kariuki is likely to interfere with the investigations. The body was heavily dismembered after staying at the house for long.

The yet to be identified woman’s body was found dumped in Tumaini Primary school ground in Umoja on May 31 and DCI investigations established it was removed from Kariuki’s rented house within the area.

And during investigations, it emerged that Kariuki was the same man captured on CCTV leaving a club in downtown Nairobi on April 27 last year with a woman whom he later killed and dumped her torso along Landhies road near Nacico Plaza opposite nearby Shell Petrol Station.

The head, arms and legs had been dumped at a dumpsite in Umoja and the torso later spotted by hawkers and motorists wrapped in black polythene sack along Landhies road near Nacico Plaza who reported to Kamukunji police station.

She was found on April 28 at dawn hours after she left a night club with Kariuki. The head and limbs were found at a dumpsite in Umoja.

Body parts and the torso matched

DNA tests of the body parts and the torso matched and identified her as Peninah Wairimu Njeri with whom Kariuki left Green Club along Latema road on April 27 last year.

The detective said Kariuki is under investigations for Njeri’s murder, which was committed under similar circumstances.

“A dismembered body of a woman was found in the same locality and the accused person [Kariuki] was the last person seen with her. The matter is still under investigation and we are apprehensive he might interfere with the investigations,” Kanampiu said.

“There is a high likelihood that the accused person is likely to interfere with prosecution witnesses who are known to him. He is also likely to abscond court considering the weight of the [murder] charges facing him. No details have been availed to show the accused person’s gainful employment and residence and regarding his work or residence has been availed.”

Kanampiu said Kariuki is a flight risk because his fixed place of residence remains unknown and he was a fugitive until he was arrested in Ruai on June 3. Justice Luka Kimaru will rule on the application on July 8.

Kariuki had broken into his rented house after his landlady evicted him and locked it after failing to pay two months’rent.

His landlady Nancy Wanja and caretaker Nicholas Kimanthi have been charged with accessory to murder and freed on a cash bail of Sh100,000.

Wanja had evicted Kariuki from her house after he failed to pay two months’ rent and locked the house.

But Kariuki returned and broke into the house then disappeared.

Hired a garbage collector

Wanja and Kimanthi were charged because the DCI concluded they had already known that the bales wrapped a dismembered body before they hired a garbage collector to dispose of it.

The DCI released garbage collector Kennedy Otieno Omar who dumped without charges.

Accessory to murder is the offence of aiding the commission of an offence without necessarily participating in the execution of the offence

Wanja had told Kimanthi to find another man who has since disappeared to help him retrieve and dump items left behind by Kariuki at her rental flats in Umoja as she prepared to rent out the room on May 30.

She had locked the house after Kariuki had disappeared for a month returned and broke into the house taking his belongings and leaving behind huge bales of wedding decor materials.

Wanja decided to clear the house and dump items left inside including the body cut into several pieces and packed in separate bales wrapped with the wedding décor materials.