Kenyan police probe Briton over murder of a woman

A Kenyan police confirmed Sunday they are questioning a Briton over the murder of a woman at his leafy home in Nairobi.

Nairobi County Police Commander Japheth Koome said Richard David Alden who is a former chief executive officer of pan-African internet service provider, Wananchi Group was arrested on Saturday after he shot dead Grace Wangechi Kinyanjui, a Kenyan, at his Karen home in Nairobi.

"We arrested the suspect after a physical examination showed Wangechi's body had visible injuries that suggested murder," Koome said by telephone, adding that the 53 year-old Alden was arrested after he told police a woman he was with for the better part of Saturday had shot herself dead in his house.

The police said the Briton and the 42 year-old woman have been running an athletics agency, which procured athletes to compete internationally.

Alden, a licensed gun holder, has been in the country since 2015 and his work permit was to expire in December 2017.

It is not clear if he and the woman had any affair as claimed. The woman lived in South C, a middle-class residential estate in Nairobi but was a frequent visitor at the home.

Koome said examination revealed the bullet entered on the back of her head, there were three open wounds on the left side of her neck, a fractured left thumb and ring finger and an injured back with stab wounds, he added.

"They were the only people in the house and when scenes of crime officers went there they also found a blood stained towel in the dressing room where the murder took place. It is murder and he is in custody for that," said Koome.

He added police were alerted by Alden's guards who said they saw him drag the lifeless body to his car and later rushed her to the Karen Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Police recovered a spent cartridge from the house and later confiscated his Gloak pistol with 34 live bullets. It was not clear what sparked the shooting.

source : xinhua