This archive report was first published on 25 July 2021.
On June 4, 2021, Herman Rouwenhourst, a 55-year-old Dutch tycoon, was found dead in his upscale apartment in Shanzu, Mombasa, with multiple injuries on his head, hands, and legs tied, and his mouth gagged.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, two suspects, Timothy Omondi Ngoe alias Rashid, 22, and Mary Nekesa Ambani, 33, have been arrested in connection with the murder.
Investigations revealed that Rouwenhourst had notified his wife, Riziki Cherono, of his intention to divorce her, following endless wrangles in their marriage. However, Cherono did not take this lying down and allegedly hatched a plot to eliminate her husband.
Cherono had earlier taken Rashid to their home on a recce mission to familiarize himself with the home. Rashid took photos of the bedroom where the deceased was later found dead, and he was promised a handsome pay upon completion of the task.
On the fateful night of the murder, Cherono opened the door to their apartment, letting in Rashid and other suspects still at large, to stage the cold-blooded murder. After completing their task, they broke into the safe and took off with over Sh3 Million.
Cherono was later found in the couple's Toyota Probox around Serena hotel, in what detectives discovered to be a staged kidnapping.
Two weeks after the murder, the prime suspect Timothy Omondi alias Rashid acquired a plot with proceeds from the murder, measuring 40x80ft at Kiembeni. He constructed a four-roomed house at an estimated cost of over Sh1.5Million and furnished it with newly acquired household items, worth over Sh500,000.
