Ruto Now Pushed To Drop Visa-Free After Nigerian Linked To Roysambu Murder

Kenyan socialite Tiffany Shakilla on Tuesday, January 16 voiced her opposition toward President William Ruto's visa-free regime allowing global visitors to enter the country without a visa, in the wake of the brutal murder of 20-year-old Rita Waeni Muendo at TRM Drive in Roysambu, Nairobi, with a Nigerian national treated as the main suspect.

In a statement on her Instagram stories, Shakilla, famously known as the 'Queen of the Streets', expressed concern regarding the safety of women interacting with foreign nationals in the wake of the tragic murder, which roped in homestays known as Airbnbs.

She feared that the Roysambu murder and the involvement of the Nigerian in the case was just the start and that more dangerous cases of the sort would emerge in the event nothing is done to stop the menace. 

"With what is going on in Kenya now, specifically the Airbnb business, the government should rethink the visa rule! The cases are just gonna get higher.

"I mean these foreigners are gonna stay in the BnBs! The girls in the streets ain't safe," Shakila stated.

The 22-year-old socialite also appeared to take back her sentiments against Kenyan men in favour of their West African counterparts following calls online for Kenyan authorities to crack down on the Nigerian nationals in the country illegally.

Commenting on an Instagram post, she wrote "Kenyan men… take me back", six months after she declared her dislike for Kenyan men, revealing that "There are many reasons why, and I start listing them, I won’t finish."

"First, Nigerians are romantic. A Kenyan man can never give you money. They would rather pay for something. They also don’t look good," she said in August 2023.

Meanwhile, the murder, coming a week after the murder of popular Instagram personality, Starlet Wahu, drew the attention of former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, who demanded an end to the gruesome femicide crimes against women.

"It is sad to see a troubling increase in the deaths of young women, leaving a trail of grief for families and friends. The abnormality of these murders cannot become the new normal. Murder is and will always be wrong, and there is no excuse.

"The ugly scourge of murder of women is now a national emergency. It is a threat to homeland security. It must come to an end," he stated on X on Wednesday morning, January 17.

The Nigerian national linked to the Roysambu murder was arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as he was on his way out of the country bound for Abuja.

The foreigner raised suspicion after he was found to be travelling with a Mozambican passport before boarding a plane. He was interrogated at the airport before being transferred to the Kasarani Police Station pending identification.

Furthermore, multiple reports revealed that several Kenyans had tipped the authorities regarding the suspect who resembled the man whose facial identity was exposed through CCTV footage aired through media platforms.

The footage, however, partially showed the suspect's face as he had worn a cap to disguise his identity. Nonetheless, the tip-off led detectives to arrest the suspect before he was set to leave the country.

He was then driven to Kasarani Police Station for interrogation alongside two other suspects, linked to the brutal murder of the woman. However, the suspect was reportedly taken to an unknown destination minutes later.

A detective privy to the matter intimated to the media that they were yet to establish whether the foreigner in custody was the one captured on the CCTV footage.

He added that investigations were still ongoing to determine the real perpetrators and establish the motive behind the murder.