17-year-old suspect in Roysambu murder case arrested after victim's phone traced to Meru

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Homicide Bureau filed a miscellaneous application seeking orders to detain Brian Mwendia Kinyua for 21 days at Kasarani Police Station as detectives complete investigations into the murder of Derick Tom Omanga.

According to court documents filed by investigating officer PC Josiah Mokenye, Omanga’s body was discovered at around 2am on December 24, 2025, near the Roysambu flyover along Thika Road. His mobile phone and laptop were missing.

After months of digital tracking, homicide detectives traced Omanga’s mobile phone to Kangeta in Igembe Central, Meru County, where Kinyua was arrested on Tuesday, August 18.

During questioning, Kinyua denied killing Omanga, telling detectives that he had bought the phone from a third party through an M-Pesa transaction. He reportedly expressed willingness to help police identify and trace the seller.

The investigation has also uncovered new forensic evidence pointing to the circumstances surrounding Omanga’s death.

An autopsy conducted by Dr Simon Omuok on December 24, 2025, established that Omanga died from multiple organ injuries caused by high-impact blunt-force trauma.

However, a subsequent toxicology analysis by the Government Chemist detected ethanol and a highly toxic industrial solvent in his system. Investigators suspect Omanga may have been drugged before he was physically assaulted.

CCTV footage obtained by the DCI shows Omanga at Wines and Tails Club along Ngong Road on the night of December 23, 2025. He was reportedly in the company of his girlfriend and an unidentified man.

At about 11pm, Omanga collected his laptop and phone from the club counter, where they had been left for safekeeping. The three later boarded an Uber taxi heading to another club along Thika Road, shortly before Omanga was killed and his body dumped along the highway.

State prosecutors from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) told the court that the 21-day detention is necessary to verify Kinyua’s age, analyse M-Pesa transaction records to identify the person who sold him the phone and trace other suspected accomplices.

The prosecution argued that releasing the suspect at this stage could compromise the ongoing murder investigation.