A man has been charged with murdering British businessman Campbell Scott, who disappeared while on a work conference in Kenya earlier this year.
Police are still on the hunt for more suspects who remain on the run after Mr Campbell’s body was found in a sack of pineapples about 60 miles from where he was last seen in the capital of Nairobi.
The 58-year-old was reported missing after he failed to return to the JW Marriott hotel, where he was attending a conference for the data analytics company Fico. He was last seen by colleagues on 16 February.
On 22 February, animal herders discovered his body, bound with rope, partially concealed inside a green sack of pineapples in the Makongo forest, Kenya’s Citizen Digital reported.
Following a lengthy investigation, Alex Mutua was charged with murder over Mr Scott’s death on Wednesday. Mr Mutua pleaded not guilty.
He is accused of murdering Mr Scott on 16 February alongside others, Citizen Digital reported.
Mr Mutua applied to be released on bail but was denied, according to Kenyan publication Daily Nation. He is due to appear in court again on 17 June for a pre-trial hearing.
Detectives earlier said they suspected Mr Scott had been tricked into going to a fake business meeting.
Their preliminary inquiries found that Mr Scott had been taken to Mr Mutua’s house in the poor Nairobi neighbourhood of Pipeline where the 58-year-old was then murdered.
The prosecution alleged that the accused and others tried to withdraw money using Mr Scott’s credit cards.
Another man wanted by police over the murder died by suicide in March, Citizen Digital reported, while two suspects remain on the run. Those men have been named as Benard Mbunga Mbusu and Alphonse Munyao Kilewa.
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Another man, Albunus Mutinda Nzioki, is reportedly helping police with the investigations.
Previously, a spokesperson for the National Police Service of Kenya described it as a “heinous, heinous crime” and said it is an “intricate and complex” investigation being led by the country’s homicide unit.
Following the grim discovery of Mr Scott’s body, his workplace Fico said the company was “devastated by this tragic news”.
“We mourn his passing and will miss his humour and kindness,” the company said in a statement.
A memorial will be held at the end of the month, according to the Daily Record.
The news outlet reported Mr Scott’s husband Simon Farrar had shared news of the service on social media, asking friends and family to join in paying their respects to the man he described as having a “heart of gold”.
