Joseph Mungai Wanjira was flushed out of his hideout within Naivasha town on June 5, 2024.
On the morning of May 22, staff at Chandarana Foodplus supermarket at Buffalo Mall in Naivasha arrived to find the shop closed.
This was very unusual as their manager, Hassan Abdullatif Salim, was known for his punctuality.
As time went by with no sign of activity, concern began to spread among the staff and several calls to Salim went unanswered, heightening their worries.
Some supervisors decided to check on him at his house.
What they found there left them in a state of shock and fear, as there were blood stains near the door, a sign that something terribly wrong had happened, while the house remained locked.
This disturbing discovery suggested a gruesome fate for their boss, and marked the beginning of a chilling investigation.
Upon entering the flat, police and supermarket staff found Salim's body with three deep stab wounds on the head.
The Nation can reveal how 25-year-old Joseph Mungai Wanjira, the prime suspect in the murder, was arrested on Wednesday through the triangulation of a mobile phone.
According to Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Mohamed Amin, the suspect was tracked down and arrested at his mobile phone repair shop in Naivasha town at 1pm on Wednesday after days of frantic search.
He was later found with household items belonging to the slain supermarket manager.
"Intelligence analysis and CCTV footage revealed the prime suspect in the murder of the Naivasha supermarket manager, in whose possession were found most of the items stolen from the deceased's house, including a TV set, a six-kilogramme gas cylinder, a Samsung tablet, a Nasa branded hoodie and a blood-stained bag," Mr Amin said in a statement.
"After a brief interrogation, the suspect led detectives to the scene of the crime (the deceased's house) where they recovered two weapons, a kitchen knife and a piece of woof, believed to have been used in the cold-blooded murder," he added.
The suspect was caught on CCTV leaving Salim's home with some of the suspected stolen items.
"An analysis of the CCTV footage documenting the robbery incident helped in the pursuit and eventual arrest of the suspect. Detectives had collected crucial evidence from the crime scene, including CCTV footage, which helped in the manhunt for the suspect," Mr Amin further revealed.
The CCTV footage, dated May 22 and seen by the Nation, shows the suspect leaving Salim's house while carrying some of the stolen items from the deceased's house, before boarding a motorbike that was on standby.
Detectives are now tracking the boda boda rider who they believe took him to and from the scene of the murder.
A post-mortem was conducted on Salim's body in Naivasha before it was transferred to Mombasa.
On Wednesday evening, Naivasha sub-County Police Commander Stephen Kirui revealed that after the murder, the suspect changed his clothes and wore those of the deceased, including the branded hoodie.
New details have also emerged, revealing that the suspect and the victim were known to each other.
"During the investigation, a neighbour volunteered information that he (the suspect) used to hang out with the deceased and after committing the crime, he changed his clothes and wore the deceased's clothes. His clothes were also stained with blood," Mr Kirui revealed.
Neighbours and friends, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, revealed that the two were close friends who could often be found at entertainment venues and eateries in Naivasha town.
The suspect is now being held at Naivasha Police Station awaiting court proceedings.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the victim was preparing for bed or already asleep when he was attacked.
The apartment complex, which houses both tenants and short-term visitors, requires tenants to have keys to enter, raising questions as to how the suspect gained access to the premises.
