Rwandan woman accused of attempted murder in Nairobi granted bail
Friday, January 05, 2024
Antoinette Uwineza, alias Micheline Uwababyeyi, was apprehended on New Year’s Eve by Kenyan police officers posing as hitmen.

Antoinette Uwineza, a Rwandan woman accused of attempting a murder-for-hire plot targeting a Swiss man in Nairobi, has been granted bail by a Kenyan court.

Along with her brother Eddy Kwizera, Uwineza was arrested on New Year’s Eve by undercover detectives posing as hitmen for hire.

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The duo was arraigned before Milimani chief magistrate on Friday, January 5 and were charged with conspiring to kill the man in question, Helbling Guico Paul.

Besides weaving a plot to eliminate Paul, the brother and sister were also accused of plotting to steal money (Euro 850,000) besides other valuables.

They both denied the charges.

The two were released each on cash bail of Ksh 200,000 with one contact person.

Uwineza is an ex-convict on murder charges. According to details emerging from Kenya, in November 2018, she was sentenced to life in jail after being found guilty of killing her love rival and her seven months’ old baby over a European boyfriend.

She was later freed after lodging a successful appeal against the verdict.

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More about her latest arrest

According to Kenyan detectives, police got a tip about the chilling plot through an informer.

They then launched a daring operation to meet the woman, masquerading as hit men. The 50-year-old Swiss target arrived in Nairobi on Boxing Day and checked into a hotel in Westlands, a posh neighbourhood in Nairobi.

He was to leave the hotel and join the woman at an apartment in the same area.

"The team met the lady on December 30 and were informed by the said lady that the foreigner has in his possession 850,000 euros (approximately Rwf 1,185,861,477). She informed them that before the foreigner is killed, he must transfer all the money to her account," states part of the police report.

Following discussions, the officers agreed with the woman regarding the plot. The terms of the plot included an equitable distribution of the funds acquired after the planned homicide.

The process entailed fabricating an identity card featuring the female undercover officer&039;s image for use in securing an apartment in Westlands. The location would serve as the venue where the suspect would lure the target for dinner before executing the attack.

The card was created under the alias Sarah Nafula Masika.

On Sunday morning, the female undercover officer, accompanied by the suspect and her 25-year-old brother, proceeded to Westlands to secure the apartment.

"Upon inspecting the suspect and her brother, two Somali knives and acid were confiscated," the police report noted.