A 29 year old woman, Monica Nyawira Kimani, who was found dead at her house in Luciane apartments on Kitale Lane, off Dennis Pritt road. [File, Standard]
The hunt for the mystery third suspect in the murder of Monica Kimani took a new twist after police arrested one of their own, a Recce Squad officer believed to be the second person who was at Monica’s house the day she died.
The chase, which took officers to Mombasa and back in the hope of arresting the suspect came to an end in Embakasi on Thursday night with the arrest of Jennings Orlando just after he arrived back in Nairobi hoping things had cooled off.
The suspect was quickly arraigned before Kiambu Resident Magistrate Justus Kituku who gave the police 14 days to detain him as investigations continue. In his ruling, Magistrate Kituku further ordered that the suspect be brought to court on November 2, 2018.
The State through, the Chief Investigating Officer who has been on the case since the beginning Maxwell Otieno asked the court to detain the suspect for a week.
“The suspect needs to be subjected to identification parade, which has not been done,” said Otieno in a sworn affidavit.
“The suspect, who indicated to the investigation team that he has crucial reports on the murder, should also be put under the protection unit investigating the case,” he said.
Sources close to the investigations said an identification parade planned for yesterday morning at Muthaiga police station where the suspect spent the night failed to happen due to technicalities, forcing the police to bundle him into a waiting car for the short ride to Kiambu Law Courts.
As he was waiting for his chance before the magistrate, detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) were ransacking his house at the General Service Unit camp in Ruiru for clues.
Among the things police are looking for is cash suspected to have been stolen from Monica on the day she was murdered, the weapon used to slit her throat, car keys and clothes.
The police believe Orlando is the mystery man seen on CCTV cameras with Joseph Irungu driving in Journalist Jacque Maribe’s car on the night Monica was murdered. Images of the car captured by surveillance cameras on the roads Irungu used from Dennis Pritt Road where Monica lived showed that he was in the company of another man.
It is suspected that Orlando was also at Red House Restaurant on Dennis Pritt Road together with Irungu, which is near Monica’s house on the night she was murdered. Furthermore being a close friend to Irungu based on their online profiles, the police believe they can create a connection between Orlando and the murder. Irungu, who was a security guard in Dubai before relocating to Kenya to work for Jubilee politicians in the run up to the last General Election has been photographed in military grade attire and sophisticated fire arms similar to Orlando’s.
In one photo that was posted on Instagram on August 1, a grinning Irungu chided Orlando for being at work when he wasn’t. “When you are off work and the other guy is still on shift,” said Irungu.
The Saturday Standard understands as an elite Recce Company member Orlando has provided his services to highly secure installations including the European Union. It was not clear by the time of going to press where he was attached but Recce Company members routinely provide security in Embassies and VIPs.
Members of the Recce Company go through highly regarded military training in countries such as the United Kingdom, Israel and the United States. Those who qualify are deployed in offering VIP protection, counter terrorism services and security of vital installations.
Detectives in the case have since the beginning intimated that Monica must have been murdered by a professional as her body showed no signs of there having been a struggle.
Orlando’s arrest came as the DCI waits for a report from detectives who have arrived from Juba, South Sudan where they were trying to piece up Monica’s last movements and activities.
Part of the information that has arrived from Juba is what Monica did for a living, her earnings and any other activities she might have been engaged in. This is part a theory that money might have been a possible motive.
