Police hunt for investor’s killer

Malindi based Dutch businessman and owner of the Sail Fish Club Malindi Mr. Emilicus Vandewerf where the badly decomposed body of a German based Kenyan business woman Lillian Mwikali Andree 50 was found dumped in a septic tank at the Club is arrested by the police at the scene. Photo/ROBERT NYAGAH

What you need to know:

  • Officers looking for key suspect to help them unravel mystery behind killing of German-based Kenyan businesswoman

Police in Malindi are hunting for a key suspect in the killing of a Germany-based Kenyan business woman.

The decomposed body of Ms Lillian Mwikali Andree was retrieved from a septic pit in a hotel last week.

Before her death, Ms Mwikali was staying at Malindi Sail Fish Club— a property said to be at the centre of a dispute between her and some Dutch investors based in Malindi.

Detectives have interrogated several people, including relatives of Ms Mwikali and staff at the club.

Six suspects, including Mr Emilicus Van Werf— Dutch investor who has been managing Deep Sea Fish Hotel— are being held at Malindi Police Station in connection with the case.

Malindi Criminal Investigation Department chief John Ndung’u last week sought a court order to hold the six for two weeks but Malindi Principal Magistrate Nathan Shiundu granted him seven days to complete investigations.

“We have important information about a key suspect who could assist us in unravelling the mystery surrounding the death of German-based woman, who was in Kenya to pursue her property,” Mr Ndung’u said on Sunday.

The death of the woman, who appeared to have been suffocated and then knifed in the neck, has caused anxiety in Malindi and in Germany.

Several of her relatives said that she was pursuing the hotel, which she built with her late German husband.

The CID boss said that Ms Mwikali’s remains had been examined and a postmortem carried out in the presence of four members of her family. The family has been given the green light to organise the burial.

Ms Mwikali’s story has also featured widely in the social media where she had many friends, majority of whom expressed shock at her death.

Mr Allan Munyaka, brother to the deceased, said that before her disappearance she had called her former house girl requesting her to travel to Malindi to stay with her at the club.

When the woman arrived at the club, she was denied access and was shocked to learn that Ms Mwikali’s phone had been switched off. (READ: Six in remand over murder probe)