Detectives in Kisumu West working together with officers from the Maseno Police stationand the Riat police post have arrested the prime suspect in the murder of a 21- year- old Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology (RIAT) female student.
An official statement by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) made on April 13, the body of the female student who had been reported missing was discovered in Riat forest.
According to the DCI, reports of her disappearance were made on the night of April 5, 2026.
“Detectives in Kisumu west in the company of officers from Maseno police station and those drawn from Riat police post have recovered a decomposing body of a 21- year- old RIAT College female student in RIAT forest, following her earlier reported disappearance,” part of the statement read.
The prime suspect is believed to have been behind the students’ assault, torture, and disappearance in the Kisumus Milimani area.
Records by the DCI indicate that the female student’s body had knife stab wounds upon recovery from the Riat forest.
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21- year- old RIAT College female student Disappearance
On the night of April 5, the elder sister of the student, Dorine Achieng, failed to reach her sister via a phone call due to poor network connectivity.
The victim’s sister is said to have received a distressed text from the victim stating that she had been lured into a drinking spree by two colleagues from the same institution.
“I called her again multiple times, but the phone remained unreachable. By 9 pm, I gave up and went to bed, hoping we would speak the following day,” Ms. Achieng stated, talking to the Daily Nation.
During her vulnerable time, the victim, Rose Benta Atieno, is said to have been sexually assaulted and abandoned in a bush without any help, as her phone went offline, according to the DCI.
Detectives from Kisumu West Sub-County launched a thorough investigation following the devastating reports from the victim’s sister.
Following the leads from forensic analysis, the team traced the victim’s last known location to the Milimani area near the Kenya Wildlife Service offices.
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Despite the search in the area, the victim was not found, and the officers continued to probe into the matter.
One of the suspects, who is alleged to be the victim’s former boyfriend, was identified by the officers as one of the males who had been spotted with a heavily drugged female on the same night the victim disappeared.
At the time of the arrest, the suspect had crucial exhibits that, according to the DCI, are of evidential value.
Additionally, the detectives who retrieved the evidence have been using the exhibits to search for the missing student and any other suspects involved in the crime.
Investigations further revealed a series of threats issued to the victim over the past two months by the suspect, who repeatedly visited her residence in RIAT in search of her.
Dorine Achieng also affirmed that her sister had reportedly planned to leave her 24-year-old boyfriend due to his violent temperament. However, she had not disclosed to Dorine that the abuse had turned physical.
Currently, the prime suspect is being processed for arraignment, as the search for his accomplices continues.
