Detectives in Kiambu County have recovered personal belongings belonging to a murdered university student following a raid at the home of the main suspect in Kikuyu.
The victim, Jane Atila Quedeya, was a second-year University of Nairobi student at Kikuyu Campus and had been reported missing on October 13, 2025.
Her decomposed body was later found dumped in Kefri Forest on October 17, 2025, police said.
Following the discovery, detectives launched an investigation that led to the arrest of Nicholas Mutia Mutia, a man believed to have been the student’s former boyfriend.
The suspect was arrested after an intelligence-led operation by a combined team of detectives who traced him to the Kikuyu area.
Police said Mutia allegedly confessed during questioning that he had lured Jane into the forest after an argument the night before her death.
He later led investigators to the scene where the body was recovered.During a subsequent raid on the suspect’s house, detectives recovered several items believed to belong to the victim.
These included a black shoelace, pair of rubber shoes, white handkerchief, black and white undergarment, black and grey backpack with a hood, yellow manila rope, elastic band, pink bedsheet, and other assorted belongings.
The suspect was arraigned before the Kikuyu Law Courts on October 25, 2025, where detectives were granted 21 days to hold him as investigations continue.
The matter is set for mention on November 13, 2025.
Investigators have also recorded statements from two women who allege they were abducted by the suspect in the same forest.
The women told police they were robbed, tortured, and sexually assaulted by the suspect during the ordeal.
Their statements have now been added to the case file as police pursue possible links between the incidents.
Meanwhile, the victim’s family has come forward with new details about alleged communication between Mutia and Jane’s relatives on the night she disappeared.
According to the family, the suspect allegedly called and demanded Sh2,500 from them, threatening harm if the money was not sent.
Jane’s brother reportedly managed to send Sh1,000, but when he was unable to raise the remaining amount, the family later received news of her death.
Detectives are now working to establish whether the killing was connected to the alleged ransom demand and if other individuals were involved.
Police said the suspect had been residing in Kikuyu and remains in custody as investigations continue.
Authorities have raised concern over the rising number of murder cases in the country, with police statistics showing up to eight such incidents reported daily nationwide.
by CYRUS OMBATI
