Detectives in Kilimani, Nairobi arrested the main suspect in connection with the killing of a University of Nairobi (UoN) student Elisha Otieno Odeng alias Ras.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, March 11, by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the suspect was a Lavington Security guard identified as Spencer Kipkorir Kosgey.
"Detectives based at Kilimani have today arrested Spencer Kipkorir Kosgey, a Lavington Security guard in connection with the death of a University of Nairobi student namely Elisha Otieno Odeng alias Ras," the statement reads in part.
Odeng died on March 4, from injuries inflicted on him after he was allegedly beaten by the guards manning the University of Nairobi Hostels.
"The deceased succumbed to injuries allegedly inflicted by Lavington Security guards led by their supervisor at the University of Nairobi main campus on the evening of Wednesday 4th March 2020. Further investigations are ongoing to bring all involved to justice," the DCI statement adds.
Odeng's murder sparked violent student protests at the University of Nairobi on the evening of Monday, March 9, demanding justice for their colleague.
The students occupied State House Road, engaging the police in running battles after which they proceeded down Valley Road.
Videos shared widely on social media showed students set on fire one of abandoned hostels commonly known as prefabs.
A student leader identified as Samuel Ayoma, claimed that Odeng was beaten by guards who later abandoned him at Central Park.
“The guards claim the student was a goon, yet we know him as a fellow comrade,” expressed Ayoma.
Students at the university highlighted that the brutality of the security guards at the institution was a common occurrence.
Odeng's killing was the second death of a University student in a week.
The murder of a student the Meru National Polytechnic on the night of Sunday, March 8, sparked violent protests that led to the loss of property worth millions by traders at the Makutano area of Meru Town the following day.
Geoffrey Rukunja, the principal of the institution stated that the student appeared to have been strangled and hit with a blunt object on the head.
“We received a call very early in the morning and I personally went to the scene. We found him dead and dumped in a ditch. It seemed he had also been robbed because his pockets appeared to have been ransacked,” Rukunja stated.
The school was closed indefinitely following the protests that ensued.
