The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has made a pretty big, somehow significant breakthrough in the probe into the gruesome murder of gospel musician Rachel Wandeto, and they’ve now confirmed the arrest of one main suspect in connection with the attack. The name of that suspect hasn’t been shared publicly yet.
That person was picked up by the DCI’s Homicide Directorate in Nairobi’s Kasarani area after what the DCI described as a chain of intelligence-led operations. DCI Director Mohamed Amin confirmed the arrest on Wednesday, and he said investigators think the suspect knew the deceased fairly well.
“One suspect has been arrested and will be arraigned tomorrow for custodial orders,” Amin said, then also noting that detectives are still following up on a number of other persons of interest, including close relatives and former associates of the artist.
This arrest comes only a few days after the awful death of the gospel singer, who later died from severe burn injuries at Kenyatta National Hospital on Monday, May 18. Wandeto was attacked on the night of May 16, while she was walking home near 11th Street in Mwiki, Kasarani.
Early police reports indicate that she was confronted by three men who assaulted her and then poured a flammable liquid on her before setting her on fire. She suffered around 75 percent burns, and despite intensive treatment, she didn’t make it.
Investigators suspect the assault may have been driven by both a personal grudge and what could be political bitterness. That angle has left the country in shock. Wandeto had earlier drawn a lot of attention in the media after she tattooed an image of President William Ruto on her chest, which some government officials said made her a target for extreme political intolerance.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who had visited the singer at the hospital shortly before her passing, came out and condemned what happened as a barbaric act of violence. The DCI says it has assured the public that the homicide unit is leaving no stone unturned in order to identify the remaining accomplices in the planning and execution of this heinous offense.
The suspect is expected to appear in court on Thursday, as the state seeks more time to finalize the forensic findings and also trace the other persons linked to the killing.
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