Police link Kijabe Forest murders to online fraud as families identify bodies

Police in Kasarani, Ruiru and Kijabe are investigating the circumstances under which five men who were reported missing were found murdered and their mutilated bodies dumped in Kijabe Forest and Kiserian.

The families of blogger Franklin Obegi, Moses Nyachae, Fred Obare, Perminus Wanjohi and another only identified as Eli who have positively identified the bodies of their kin at City Mortuary want police to speed up investigations into their mysterious disappearance and murder.

Preliminary investigations by police show that the five could have been involved in online fraud as one of the victims had been arrested following a complaint at Ruiru Police Station; a matter that was later settled out of court.

Evans Bowendo is a father in distress; the death of his son Franklin Obegi days after he was reported missing in the company of his two friends is a big shock to the family.

Bowendo, who arrived at the City Mortuary earlier Tuesday, said he learnt of his death through a friend.

“Mmoja wa marafiki zake ndio alinipigia akaniambia kijana Franklin amepatikana ako City Mortuary, nikatuma ndugu yangu hapa akakuja akapata ni yeye. Na mimi leo nimekuja na nikadhibitisha ni mtoto wangu,” Bowendo said.

He told Citizen TV that he last saw his son, who was a student at Multimedia University, in February when he visited their rural home.

"Mimi nilikuwa najua alikuwa anakata risiti za ndege online…hiyo ndio kitu alikuwa ameniambia akitoka nyumbani. Lakini sasa vile alikuja kupatikana amekufa hata mimi nimeshangaa ni kitu gani kilifanya mtoto wangu akakufa,” he explained.

The family however could not establish the source of his cash which he used to splash on trips down at the Coast.

“Pesa enyewe alikuwa nazo kwa sababu akipata pesa unaeza fungua simu uone kwa status zake akiwa Mombasa, amepanda ndege...nilimuuliza akaniambia hii pesa anakuanga nayo ni commission ya ile biashara anafanya,” Bowendo stated.

Leyton Ong'ang'a, Obegi's brother, believes the deceased worked online jobs.

"He was a person who was working on online matters and he was an active person on social media, he was a trendsetter and a blogger, maybe he was at the wrong place, at the wrong time with the wrong guys,” he said.

Obegi is believed to have disappeared in the company of Moses Nyachae whose body was also found in Kijabe forest on Sunday, alongside another friend identified as Eli.

"Alikuwa na alama kwa mikono na kwa shingo, pia nikiangalia macho yake naona ni kama ilikuwa imetobolewa… we demand answers about the death kwa sababu vile tulikuwa tunajua ni student na tulikuwa tunasubiri agraduate from Kenyatta University,” Boaz Nyakwara, Nyachae's brother, said.

What is more puzzling is that the trio's friend, Fred Obare, who informed their families of their disappearance on June 14 also went missing two days later and was found murdered in Kiserian on Sunday night.

The family of Perminus Wanjohi, whose body was the first to be discovered at Kijabe Forest on Saturday, were also at the morgue to transfer their kin's remains to Nyeri where he will be laid to rest.

Kasarani Police Commander Peter Mwanzo, who confirmed receiving reports of four missing persons at his station, said preliminary investigations showed that the victims were friends who were allegedly involved in online fraud.

"Ripoti tulizonazo ni kwamba walikuwa wakifanya kazi za online, kuna hizi mambo kama za cryptocurrency ambayo inahusu pesa kutoka kwa mtu mmoja kuenda kwa mtu mwengine…kwa maana kuna kijana mmoja aliweza kukamatwa…kulikuwa na mlalamishi na baadaye tunaskia waliskizana na mlalamishi na akamrudishia pesa zake,” said Mwanzo.

The police boss added that the matter is still under probe at Ruiru, Kijabe and Kasarani police stations where the incidents were reported.