Four arrested over murder of Scottish businessman in Kenya

Kenyan authorities have detained four men in connection with the killing of Campbell Scott, a 58-year-old Scottish business executive whose remains were uncovered in a sack within the Makongo Forest. The body was discovered approximately 60 miles (96.5 km) from Nairobi, where Scott had been residing, on 24 February last year.

Details of the Crime

Scott, a senior director at the credit scoring company FICO, was reported missing after failing to meet colleagues for a presentation at the JW Marriott Hotel in Nairobi’s Westlands district. The following evening, he had visited the Havana nightclub before his disappearance. Police later indicated his body was taken to a property in the Pipeline district, a slum area about 9.3 miles (15 km) from his hotel, where he was allegedly held for a period to retrieve funds from his bank accounts.

His corpse was found in a pineapple sack, with hands tied, in the Makongo Forest. A post-mortem examination yielded inconclusive results, but pathologists stated the injuries were too minor to account for his death.

Arrests and Investigation

The arrests followed an intelligence-driven operation in Ukunda, a coastal town 16 miles (25.8 km) south of Mombasa. The suspects were linked to both Scott’s murder and a separate violent robbery involving an American national in Nyali, near Mombasa. Detectives said the operation involved collaboration between the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CR&IB) and other agencies.

“An operation was conducted by DCI officers drawn from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CR&IB) Headquarters, working jointly with their counterparts from SCCIO Nyali and SCCIO Msambweni (Ukunda). The suspects, Bernard Mbusu, Isaac Kinoti Kobia, Evans Muthengi Mutaki, and Kelvin Mwangi Njoroge, were apprehended at Ideal Apartments, Ukunda,” stated the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

The suspects were also connected to a robbery in Watamu, Malindi Sub-County, where stolen goods such as an HP laptop, mobile phones, foreign currencies, credit cards, cheque books, and PDQ card readers were recovered from their residence.

Previous Arrests and Charges

Initially, two individuals—a taxi driver and a nightclub waiter—were questioned as they were believed to be the last people to see Scott alive. Two of the suspects were arrested in March last year, and one has since appeared in court charged with murder. Detectives are now seeking three additional individuals to complete the investigation.