Two suspects involved in JKUAT student murder in custody

Two suspects who were involved in the brutal murder of Joel Juma, the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) student who was murdered two days ago have been arrested by DCI sleuths.

Joseph Muchiri, alias Agent, 22, and Paul Mbatha, 20, were arrested Wednesday morning following a manhunt that was launched by undercover agents.

Their arrest followed a detailed forensic analysis of the scene conducted by Crime Scene experts based at the DCI National Forensic Laboratory, leading the detectives to the identity of the suspects.

The first suspect was seized from his hideout in Kiandutu, Thika Town, while the second was arrested in Gachororo, Juja area, as he tried to escape the DCI dragnet that had been extended to Murang’a County.

According to the DCI sleuths, the detectives on the case say they are closing in on the third suspect and efforts to find him dead or alive are at advanced stages.

Joel Juma, who was at the apex of his undergraduate studies, met his death in the most callous manner after three men accosted him and his girlfriend as they were headed for a friend’s house to seek revision materials.

Following the 2 am incident that engulfed the JKUAT fraternity and its environs in a sombre mood, special teams of detectives from the Crime Research & Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) were dispatched Tuesday to augment the Juja based detectives in a manhunt for the killers.

The thugs, who are part of a gang desperately escaping an ongoing operation in the larger Eastlands area, assumed that they had found a safe haven in Gachororo but this was not the case.

Muchiri alias ‘Agent’ and Mbatha, have since confessed to taking part in the murder and are being processed for arraignment Thursday in strict compliance with the law.