Two suspects arrested over killing of JKUAT student

Two suspected gangsters were on Wednesday arrested in connection with the death of a Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) student who was fatally stabbed in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

The duo, Juja DCIO boss Richard Mwaura said, was singled out from a cohort of seven individuals who were rounded up by detectives following the death of 23-year-old Joel Juma, a fourth year Industrial Chemistry major. 

They are expected to be arraigned at Thika Law Courts On Thursday.

“Following a manhunt launched after the murder of the student, undercover agents seized Joseph Muchiri, alias Agent, 22, and Paul Mbatha, 20, this morning. Their arrest followed a detailed forensic analysis of the crime scene conducted by DCI National Forensic Laboratory experts,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said in a statement.

“The first suspect was seized from his hideout in Kiandutu, Thika town, while the second was arrested in Gachororo, Juja area, as he tried to escape our dragnet that had been extended to Kiambu County.”

Mwaura disclosed the breakthrough as he attempted to calm irate JKUAT students who on Wednesday protested the killing of their fellow student. 

The students wanted police to expedite investigations into the incident and bring Juma’s killers to book.

“There is no security here irrespective of what time it is and there is no guarantee that you can go about your business without being attacked by goons. We need security here; we came here to study and not to be robbed and murdered,” one of the students told Citizen Digital.

According to police reports, Juma met his demise on Tuesday at around 2am when he and his girlfriend allegedly went to borrow exam revision materials from a colleague who lived near his residence.

A gang of three knife-wielding goons descended on the pair, with two of them physically assaulting the deceased before stabbing him twice on the chest and stealing his phone and other valuables.

The remaining goon would focus his attention on the lady but would leave her unscathed after discovering that she was not carrying anything valuable at the time.

According to the DCI, detectives are closing in on the third suspect with efforts to nab him already at an advanced stage.