Former top CEO arrested over woman’s murder in his Karen house
Police have arrested a Briton whom they suspect killed a woman in Karen, Nairobi, at the weekend.
They arrested Mr Richard Alden, 53, when he took Ms Grace Wangechi Kinyanjui, 42, to Karen Hospital on Saturday afternoon, saying she had shot herself.
But police said the woman, who was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital at about 1pm on Saturday, had injuries that were inconsistent with suicide and which suggested she might have been assaulted.
GUNSHOT WOUNDS
She had two gunshot wounds in the stomach and two broken fingers, according to Nairobi County Police Commander Japheth Koome.
The bullets had entered through the left side of the stomach and exited through the right side of the nape, he added.
“Detectives recovered a 9mm spent cartridge in the house and took away other exhibits for ballistic examination,” Mr Koome said, adding that they suspected the gun used in the shooting belonged to Mr Alden and that he was licensed to own it.
“He has been arrested and will face murder charges once investigations are complete,” said Mr Koome.
Also seized to help with the investigations were the day guard and the househelp, Ms Margaret Muhonje, who told the police she was in the house when the incident happened. She could hear the two talking freely before she heard the gunshots and screams from the man.
SHOT HERSELF
“The man started shouting for help and asked us to call the police or ambulance. He claimed that Ms Kinyanjui had shot herself,” Ms Muhonje said at Karen Police Station, where she was being held.
The man is a former chief executive of the Wananchi Group, an entertainment and Internet connectivity company, and had arrived in the country from South Africa that morning. He was supposed to move from Karen to Nanyuki where he owns a home.
Ms Kinyanjui had arrived at Mr Alden’s residence at 10am from her house in South C, Nairobi, and started helping him to pack his household items ready to move house. At the time of the incident, his wife was away in France while their three children are in England.
Police said they would detain the man and take him to court on Monday. Ms Muhonje and the guard are likely to be treated as prime witnesses in the case, police added.
ANGLE OF BULLET
A postmortem examination will be conducted on Monday to confirm, among other things, the angle at which the bullet was fired, the cause of the other injuries and the possible weapons used.
The killing comes just a week after a man reportedly shot dead his friend in Garden Estate, Nairobi, in what is believed to be a crime of passion.
The man is said to have committed the act when he found Christopher Adagi Muganda with his girlfriend, identified as Ms Edna Kariuki, when he went to visit her in the wee hours of Saturday, May 28.
The woman was escorting Muganda from her house at 12:30am when they met the man, who reportedly shot and killed the victim instantly.
Kasarani OCPD Robinson Mboloi said the man, a licensed firearm holder, shot the victim in the stomach with a pistol.
