The foreigner who had been arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in connection to the gruesome murder of Rita Waeni has been released.
This is after it was discovered that he had stayed in South C area and could not speak Swahili.
According to a report by a local newspaper, witnesses confirmed that the foreigner is not the man who had visited the AirBnB in Roysambu, where Waeni was murdered.
The witnesses, the owner of the AirBnB and two other men disassociated the foreigner to the murder after police staged an identification parade at Kasarani police station, where the he was being held.
The witnesses also claimed that the main suspect in Waeni’s murder spoke Swahili and seemed well-versed with the area. However, the foreigner in custody did not understand Swahili.
According to the owner of the rental apartment, the suspect spoke to him in Swahili, when he wanted to ask if he could pay for it in cash. The agent confirmed that he asked for the key to the house in the language.
Meanwhile, the main suspect is still at large but detectives are pursuing him and believe he is still in the country.
“As to whether he is a Kenyan, we do not know. We are looking for a killer who is out there and could harm more,” a detective said.
On Wednesday, Waeni’s family released a statement, saying that she left her aunt’s place in Syokimau on January 13 to meet a friend.
However early morning on January 14, they received a message demanding for a ransom in 24 hours for Waeni to be released.
Her murderer further sent a photo of the hacksaw that was allegedly used to dismember her body, in a bid to prompt the family to act faster.
“With this message, the family reported the matter to the police and DCI, and investigations began.
“Unfortunately, we did not get further details about the ransom or an opportunity to explore this route. Some demands were made when she had already been murdered,” the family’s statement read in part.
