Kenyan police have apprehended two individuals identified as Nigerian nationals, William Ovie Opia and Johnbull Asbor, in connection with the brutal murder of 20-year-old student Rita Waeni.
Discovered in a short-term rental apartment in Nairobi, Waeni’s dismembered remains were found in rubbish bags on January 14, with her head, phone, and personal items missing.
The suspects, Opia and Asbor, appeared in court but have not been charged or asked to plead.
The incident has sparked outrage, prompting calls for increased efforts to address violence against women.
In addition to the Nigerian suspects, four Kenyans and one person with a Mozambican passport are also in custody.
The police seized items, including a butcher’s knife and small axe believed to have been used in the murder and mutilation. Opia claimed to have bought the axe online for self-defence.
The arrests took place in Ndenderu, near a dam where a head, suspected to be Waeni’s, along with her phone and some missing items, were recovered.
The victim’s family, unable to identify the recovered head, revealed that the perpetrators demanded a ransom even after Waeni’s death.
The gruesome nature of the incident has shocked many, leading to widespread protests by human rights and feminist groups against the rising femicide and violence against women in the country, as reported violent killings of women have surged since the beginning of the year.
A 2022 survey indicated that 34% of women reported experiencing physical violence at some point in their lives.
