Matatu Tout, High School Student Arrested with Phones Belonging to Murdered Businesswoman Caroline Wanjiku

Detectives have arrested two more suspects linked to the gruesome murder of 38-year-old businesswoman Caroline Wanjiku Maina.

The two, a matatu tout and a high school student, were arrested in Suneka, Kisii County after officers tracked two smartphones that were previously paired with the deceased’s Safaricom sim cards.

Justus Nyamete Manyura alias Dennis Ongingo, a conductor with Safeline Sacco Kibera-Nairobi was found with the first phone—a Samsung Galaxy A20S.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the second phone make Oppo was in possession of a 17-year-old student at St. Lawrence Nyabieyo Secondary School. 

“Both mobile phones previously paired to Safaricom lines registered under the deceased’s particulars, and which she used in her online transactions and communication,” the DCI said.

Investigations are underway to establish how the two phones ended up in the hands of the two suspects.

Wanjiku disappeared on February 12th, a day before her Toyota Axion was found abandoned in Kawangware, near Gatina Primary School. Her body was traced to Kajiado County Referral Hospital mortuary on February 19th.

Four suspects, including Edwin Otieno Odiwuor, Samwel Okoth Adinda, Stevenson Oduor Ouma, and Mercy Gitiri Mongo were arrested in connection with her disappearance and murder.

Detectives said the deceased had withdrawn Sh350,000 from a Nairobi Cooperative Bank account on the day she went missing. After withdrawing the money, she went to Ngara to meet one of the suspects (Edwin) for a business deal. 

The DCI said Wanjiku had called one of her friends to inform her of the meeting with Edwin, who was supposed to guide her in boosting her Stima Sacco shares with the money she had withdrawn.

“Once at Ngara, Wanjiku had been forced into a waiting black KCN 300D Toyota Crown in which Edwin was waiting, before being handcuffed & sandwiched by other suspects,” the DCI said.
Two of the suspects, Edwin and Samuel, led officers to Paranai area in Kajiado County, where they allegedly dumped her lifeless body after torturing her.

An autopsy report revealed that the deceased succumbed to head injuries inflicted with a blunt object.