A Tanzanian gold dealer is in police custody in connection with the suspected murder of a 20-year-old female student from Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, whose body was found dumped in a thicket in Bondo Township, Siaya County.
Alice Rianga, a second-year Bachelor of Education Science student, was last seen on Wednesday last week when she left her hostel room heading to the university’s main campus and never returned.
Her roommate, Kayla Wanyonyi, filed a missing person report the following Sunday, only to learn that a body matching Alice’s description had been discovered a day earlier by local women who were out fetching firewood in the Barkowino area.
Bondo Sub-County Police Commandant Robert Aboki confirmed the arrest of Maximillian John Madeni after the roommate identified him as the deceased’s boyfriend.
Aboki noted that the crime scene showed no signs of a physical struggle, suggesting Alice may have been killed elsewhere before her body was dumped in the thicket.
Investigators also observed that the body was found without undergarments.
Alice’s remains are at Bondo Sub-County Hospital mortuary awaiting an autopsy as investigations continue.
The murder has sparked outrage among students at JOOUST, who have issued a stern ultimatum to local authorities demanding action.
Former JOOUST President Joel Odidi accused the police of negligence, alleging that previous reports of violence against students had gone unaddressed.
Odidi gave voice to the collective grief and frustration of the student community, warning that students are being killed every semester and that they will no longer stay silent while their safety is compromised.
