Nairobi News

NewsWhat's Hot

Police foil another plot by Nairobi woman to kill estranged husband


Yet another woman has been arrested for planning the murder of her estranged husband in Karen, Nairobi. The arrest comes barely three days after another woman was also arrested in Buruburu for conspiring to kill her estranged husband.

Ms Monica Kalondu Wambua, accused for murder-for-hire plot against former husband, Eric Njiiri, was arrested together with their former neighbor in Lamu who police have identified as Mr Papias Karinga Mureithi.

The Karen Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Keneth Njoroge on Sunday said that Mr Njiiri learnt of his former wife’s plan to kill him about a fortnight ago.

Ms Wambua, a businesswoman, had been married to the complainant for about 15 years and have two sons but separated about one year ago.

Police said that at the time of the arrest, they had gathered sufficient evidence to show that Ms Wambua, 38, had conspired with Mr Karinga, a businessman dealing in properties, to kill her estranged husband.

Police obtained recorded conversations, written notes and the photos which had been given to the hit men, which were gathered in the course of investigations.

The target Eric Njiiri. PHOTO | COURTESY
The target Eric Njiiri. PHOTO | COURTESY

According to the investigations report, the team met at a car wash in Umoja on May 2, and again on May 9 in Karen to plan the murder.

The two are said to have paid the hit men Sh300, 000 as deposit and also facilitated their trip to Mr Njiiri’s Karen and Naro Moru residences.

But a few days after the money was paid, the two started becoming impatient and Mr Karinga told the team that he wanted the money refunded as he “had planned to hire the Gaza squad”.

MURDER PLAN

However, in the course of planning the murder, the hit men learnt that the two were only interested in Mr Njiiri’s wealth, and consequently, they informed him of the plan.

Mr Njiiri immediately fled to Juba where he does some business as police launched investigations.

Investigations by Nation revealed that a former senior Mungiki member was also involved in the negotiations to scuttle the plot and also provided some evidence to the police.

Two of the people who were to execute the plan have also recorded statements with the police.

Mr Njiiri, in is statement to the police said that he knew Mr Karinga as a former neighbor in Lamu who had defrauded him some money after he pretended that he would sell him some land before he disappeared.

“The next I heard of him was when I learnt of his plans with Ms Wambua to have me killed,” he said. “The plan to kill me was hatched so that they could acquire my wealth. My wife would by default acquire all my wealth while my fraud case against Mr Karinga would be closed,” Mr Njiiri added.

Recorded conversations in possession of the police also indicate that Mr Njiiri’s Toyota Landcruiser V8 would be given to Mr Mureithi for the job done.

Mr Mureithi is the chairman of the Makongeni Settlement in Umoja Three, Nairobi.

Even when he was arrested by the detectives from DCI Buruburu, Mr Karinga did not suspect that it was due to the plan. He was detained at the Buruburu Police Station but was later transferred to Karen where police played for them some of their recorded conversations. The two will be charged in court on Monday.