Man linked to Roysambu Airbnb murder arrested at JKIA while attempting to flee

Detectives from Kasarani, Nairobi County, have arrested a foreign national at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on suspicion of being involved in the murder of a 20-year-old woman whose mutilated body was found in a house in Roysambu area.

The suspect who was travelling using a Mozambican passport was intercepted before boarding a plane and interrogated at the airport before being transferred to the Kasarani Police Station pending identification.

Sources close to investigations told Citizen TV that the suspect was arrested after he raised suspicion.

The source however noted that it is too early to ascertain whether the man in police custody is the suspect captured on CCTV last Saturday picking the keys to the house where the girl was allegedly killed and her body parts dumped in paper bags.

Detectives are also searching for the head of the girl which was chopped off, her personal belongings including her clothes and mobile phone which are still missing.

It has also emerged that the girl, a student at a local university whose body was positively identified by family members on Monday, had travelled from Athi River to Roysambu to have dinner with the would-be killer.

The brutal murder has attracted condemnation from the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) who have asked the government to protect women and girls following increased cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV).

FIDA, which has put the number of women killed in a similar manner at 10 in the last one year, said there is need for the security agencies to investigate thoroughly the circumstances under which the ladies were killed.

FIDA Vice Chair Christine Kung’u said: “We remain very concerned about the longstanding State’s failure to protect women and girls from this type of violence, which in most cases occurs in private spaces by perpetrators who are well known to the victims.”

“In the case of Starlet Wahu, several women have come forth that this man had actually been reported to police stations. So we’re questioning, what happened with the investigations? If we could tighten measures, coupled with databases of sexual violators within the law, then it is easier to be able to track a perpetrator,” FIDA CEO Anne Ireri added.

Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua, whose ministry is mandated with registration and licensing of facilities offering private accommodation, has said that the Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) will rigorously enforce compliance and take legal action against any violations of licensing laws.

CS Mutua has urged members of the public to verify registration and license status of facilities to ensure compliance with outlined directives by the government.

He added that the ministry will conduct a comprehensive review of current TRA regulations with an aim at fostering closer partnerships with accommodation providers.