NAIROBI, Kenya – Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have recovered the decomposing body of a 21-year-old Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology (RIAT) student and arrested the prime suspect linked to her gruesome death.
The suspect, identified as Coleman Steve Okoth was identified as the victim’s former boyfriend, with detectives noting he had allegedly been threatening the victim for at least two months prior to the incident.
According to detectives, the nightmare began on the night of April 5, 2026. What started as a typical evening for the young student quickly spiraled into a frantic search as her phone fell silent.
For her elder sister, the silence was uncharacteristic and deafening. As the hours ticked toward midnight, a single, distressing text message finally broke through the poor network connectivity, a digital cry for help that would be the victim’s last communication with the outside world.
The message painted a chilling picture. She had been lured into a drinking spree by two male colleagues from her institution where she was sexually assaulted and later abandoned in a bush in critical condition.
“She reported being sexually assaulted and abandoned in a remote thicket. Before she could provide her exact coordinates, her phone went offline, ” DCI stated.
Detectives from Kisumu West Sub-County, working alongside officers from Maseno and the RIAT police post, launched a meticulous forensic probe.
Using signal triangulation, investigators traced her last known location to the Milimani area, specifically near the Kenya Wildlife Service offices.
While the initial search yielded no sign of the student, the forensic trail led them to a primary person of interest, the prime suspect Coleman Steve Okoth.
Investigations revealed a pattern of obsession. Okoth had allegedly spent the past two months issuing threats and repeatedly visiting her residence in RIAT.
Eyewitness accounts placed him with the heavily drugged student on the night of her disappearance and at the time of his arrest, detectives discovered him in possession of crucial exhibits that linked him directly to the crime.
“At the time of arrest, the suspect was found with crucial exhibits of evidential value, which detectives have been using in their search for the missing student and other suspects,” part of the DCI’s statement read.
Following leads developed after the arrest, search teams located the student’s remains in the dense foliage of the RIAT forest. Preliminary reports from the scene confirmed the violent nature of the tragic incident.
Okoth remains in custody as authorities continue an active search for potential accomplices believed to have been involved.
