Detectives in Nairobi have made a significant breakthrough in the investigation into the murder of Multimedia University (MMU) student Sylvia Kemunto, after recovering her mobile phone during a raid at a local church.
The recovery followed a confession from the main suspect, Philip Eric Mutinda, who informed police that he had donated Kemunto’s phone to the church as an offering on Monday, March 31 — the day after her murder near Ongata Rongai.
According to police sources, Mutinda admitted to taking Kemunto’s phone following the fatal incident and surrendering it to the church. Investigators visited the church, located in Nairobi, and retrieved the device. Church officials reportedly confirmed that the phone had indeed been donated by Mutinda.
During his interrogation, Mutinda is said to have revealed that he had been in a romantic relationship with the victim. However, tensions had developed between them, which he claimed he was attempting to resolve.
On March 30, the day Kemunto was killed, Mutinda allegedly visited her residence to reconcile. When the discussion escalated into a confrontation, he reportedly assaulted her — pushing her against a wall and a bed, before strangling her with the drawstring of a hoodie. She suffered blunt force trauma to the head during the altercation.
Mutinda is alleged to have then placed her body in a suitcase and transported it to his own residence. He told investigators that he covered the body with a blanket, went for a walk, and returned about 40 minutes later. He later repositioned the body in the suitcase and spent the night with it in his room.
In the early hours of March 31, around 4 a.m., he is reported to have moved the suitcase containing the body to a water tank, where it was later discovered. He also removed Kemunto’s SIM card, discarded it within the MMU compound, and kept the phone — which he eventually gave to the church.
Following the incident, Mutinda reportedly returned to his family home and confessed to his parents. They subsequently accompanied him to Sultan Hamud Police Station, where he surrendered to authorities.
A post-mortem examination, conducted by Chief Government Pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor and family pathologist Dr. Martha Mwangi, confirmed that Kemunto died by strangulation. The autopsy also revealed head injuries caused by a blunt object and defensive wounds, indicating she had tried to resist the attack.
