Two Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers spent Wednesday night in police cells after they were arrested over the brutal murder of University of Nairobi student Mercy Kwamboka, whose mutilated body was found three weeks ago in a thicket in Nairobi’s Mwiki area.
After an intense manhunt spanning several weeks, detectives on Wednesday arrested Joseph Ngera Kamau and Fred Mathenge Kanja — both Kenya Army soldiers based in Embakasi, Nairobi.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the two men were the last known individuals to have been in contact with the 20-year-old student before she went missing.
“Following forensic trails, detectives flushed Kamau and Kanja out of their hideouts in Komarock Estate and Tononoka area in Embakasi, respectively,” detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations said.
On the fateful night of September 27, a mystery midnight phone call drew Kwamboka from the safety of her family’s Pipeline home, unknowingly leading her into the hands of her killers.
When she was called, Kwamboka excused herself from the house, her father Jasper Nyandieka said, and by morning, she had not returned.
Hours later, their world was shattered. It would turn out that it was the last time she would be seen alive, again.
Police have since established that on that fateful night, Joseph Ngera picked up Mercy from her home, but things quickly took a tragic turn.
“Joseph Ngera picked up Mercy from her home in a motor vehicle, Registration Number KDA 796L, and proceeded to his house in Komarock. While at the parking lot, a misunderstanding ensued, leading to a confrontation in which Kamau assaulted Mercy, resulting in her death. Kamau then called his accomplice, Kanja, to help him dispose of the body,” the DCI said.
The search for her turned into a heart-wrenching saga, culminating in the discovery of her lifeless body, partially undressed and bearing bruises on her thighs, lower back, and left ankle.
Beside her, detectives found a black blouse, a blanket, and a mobile phone.
Kwamboka, a first-born daughter, was pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at UoN. But after completing her first year, she deferred her studies.
"After completing her first year in the 2021/2022 academic year, she deferred her studies, although the records in the department do not give any reasons for the deferment," John Orindi, the director of corporate affairs at UoN, previously told Nation.Africa.
“Therefore, she was not in session as a current student in the current academic session. The department acknowledged that it had received news of her death on September 28, 2024,” Mr Orindi explained.
