Rita Waeni Muendo, a 20-year-old Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) student who was murdered and her body dismembered, was a friendly person according to her roommate.
Speaking to the media, Patience Wavinya revealed that they were childhood friends with the deceased and coincidentally also shared a room at JKUAT.
Wavinya described Waeni as an open person, soft-spoken, and with bigger plans for her future.
"She was not secretive and we used to share stories. She did not even at one point raise an issue concerning her being lured or what happened," Wavinya stated adding that she was focused on securing a job after finishing school.
She also painted the deceased as a simple lady who lived within her means.
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Wavinya indicated that she was still coming to terms with the gruesome murder revealing that she received the news late on Monday night and she could not sleep that night.
According to her other classmates, Waeni was outgoing and social. She used her hair plaiting skills to interact with other schoolmates.
" She was soft-spoken and more often she could plait my hair just to connect with us," one of her classmates stated.
Others called on the relevant authorities to expedite probe into the murder of Waeni.
Her family which issued a statement, noted that her murderer demanded a Ksh500,000 ransom to set her free.
“On Sunday, January 14, at 5 am, her father received a message, delivered from her phone number, demanding a ransom of Sh500,000 within 24 hours for her release. With this message, the family reported the matter to the police and DCI, and investigations began,” the family said.
According to the family, the deceased left her aunt’s residence in Syokimau, Machakos county, to meet a friend.
“We believe she was lured by her killer, who also tried to extort money from her family, even after killing her. We are broken and our lives have been shattered, at the loss of Waeni, and especially how she was killed,” they said.
However, the police have not issued a conclusive statement over Waeni's murder.
