A shocking murder case has emerged in Ruiru, Kenya, where detectives were left stunned after a confession from a murder suspect revealed how he allegedly killed his wife and then stuffed her body inside a suitcase before dumping it. The confession statement, dated April 22, was given by the suspect, Morris Njuguna, 28, who claimed to have committed the crime on the night of April 18 at Mitikenda Estate on the outskirts of Ruiru town.
The victim, Risper Ndunge, had spent the better part of Monday last week working at a local restaurant with her husband, Morris Njuguna. Njuguna was the chef at the eatery located along the Eastern Bypass in Ruiru, Kiambu County, while his wife of nine months worked as the cashier. According to reports, theirs was a love story that brewed inside a fish joint, where they had met, and Njuguna had later recommended Ndunge for the job, and she was hired as a cashier.
As they served customers on Monday, there was no indication that death was stalking Ndunge. However, according to the confession statement, Ndunge died instantly after her husband hit her head against a wall. Njuguna said that his wife’s death shocked him, and he decided to stuff the body in a suitcase and dump it to escape arrest. He then put the suitcase in a white sack.
However, Ndunge’s lifeless body was found the following day, stashed in a sack and dumped 500 metres from their rented house within Kamakis area along Eastern Bypass. Njuguna had abandoned the suitcase near a rental house and went back home, scheming on how to run away, but he had no money, so he delayed. However, the residents of Mitikenda Estate had seen him struggling to carry the sack, and after the body was recovered, some neighbours reportedly recognised her.
Mr Njuguna has been arrested as the prime suspect in Ndunge’s murder and will be arraigned in court. According to the police, Ndunge appeared to have been hit with a blunt object. Detectives at Ruiru Police Station told the media that suspicions of infidelity and jealousy were at play, and the couple is reported to have quarrelled inside their rented house on the fateful day. The police said Mr Njuguna left work earlier than usual on Monday and proceeded to buy a polythene sack. It is suspected that it is the same bag Ndunge’s body was found stashed in. The police said Mr Njuguna bought the sack for Sh150 and paid through M-Pesa.
“The suspect has confessed to us that he indeed killed the wife on Monday last week. He later stashed the body of the deceased in a polythene sack and dumped it 500 metres from their rented house in Kamakis area, the same night,” Ruiru DCIO Justus Ombati told the media.
Mr Njuguna was tracked through his mobile phone and arrested at his ancestral home in Makuyu, Murang’a County. Police say he had travelled to Makuyu, where he proceeded to hide the mobile handset of the deceased in an attempt to cover his tracks. Mr Ombati yesterday said Mr Njuguna then led police to their rented house where they found blood stains.
“The suspect will be arraigned at Ruiru Law Court tomorrow [today] where we will charge him with murder. He has already owned up and confessed that he indeed committed the offence. We appeal to young couples to find ways of solving their marital problems when they arise instead of taking someone else’s innocent life,” Mr Ombati appealed.
