2 Suspects Arrested over Murder of Mombasa-based Dutch Tycoon and His Guard

Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder of Mombasa-based Dutch tycoon Herman Rouwenhourst and his guard.

Timothy Omondi Ngoe, alias Rashid (22), and Mary Nekesa Ambani (33) were arrested by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

55-year-old Rouwenhourst and his guard Evans Bokoro (23) were found brutally murdered at the tycoon’s Rocco apartments in Shanzu, Mombasa on June 4th.

Rouwenhourst’s body was found on his matrimonial bed with injuries on the head, hands, and legs tied and mouth gagged.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the slain tycoon had initiated a divorce process from his wife Riziki Cherono due to unending marital disputes. 

Cherono, who was opposed to the move, allegedly hatched a plan to eliminate her husband with whom they had two children aged 14 and 12.

“On May 10, 2021, she (Cherono) constituted a meeting between the two suspects Rashid and Nekesa, a former manager in one of Rouwenhourst’s hotels. In a chilling confession to detectives on how they planned and executed the murder, Nekesa disclosed that Cherono had earlier taken Rashid to their home on a recce mission to familiarize himself with the home,” DCI said.

“To complete the finer details into the murder plot, Rashid took photos of the bedroom where the deceased was later found dead. He was promised a handsome pay upon completion of the task, from money that the deceased kept in a safe in the couple’s bedroom.”

On the day of the murder, Cherono is said to have led the suspects into the house to commit the crime, after which they broke into his safe and took off with more than Sh3 million.

Cherono was later on found tied in the couple’s car near Serena Hotel in what detectives believe to have been a staged kidnapping.

Two weeks after the murder, Rashid reportedly acquired a plot at Kiembeni, built a four-roomed house for over Sh1.5 million, and furnished it with new household items worth more than Sh500,000. The money used is believed to be proceeds of the crime.

Detectives recovered one live round of 9mm caliber, one bullet head of 9mm caliber, blood-stained shoes, a pair of handcuffs, several mobile phones, and SIM cards from the suspects.

“Forensic analysis conducted in our forensic lab placed Rashid at the scene of the murder in Shanzu and at around Serena, where Cherono and the vehicle were found,” DCI added.

The suspects will be arraigned in court on Monday to face murder charges.

Rouwenhorst, who emigrated to Kenya after falling in love with Cherono, owned multiple nightclubs and properties in Mombasa and Kilifi counties. The deceased also had three children in the Netherlands from a previous relationship.