Suspect in murder of Scot in Kenya 'stabs himself to death while on the run'

Samuel Musembi is also said to have botched an attempt at poisoning himself.

A suspect wanted over the murder of Scots businessman Campbell Scott in Kenya has stabbed himself to death while on the run, it has been claimed.

Scott was found dead in a forest in February, after going missing in the East African country's capital, Nairobi, and a manhunt was launched, with police saying there were suspects.

It has now been reported that one of the suspects, Samuel Musembi, has been found stabbed to death, after a botched attempt to poison himself.

Kenyan news outlet Nation reported details of his demise. He was believed to have been in hiding where he was staying at a friend's house.

On Tuesday evening when the friend returned home from work he discovered the front door was locked. Once he managed to force his way inside he discovered Musembi unconscious on the bed.

He was rushed to hospital where he later died from his injuries. An autopsy will be carried out to conclude the exact cause of death. Musembi was one of three men wanted for the murder of Mr Scott.

Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations said it is hunting the men who have ‘fled and gone into hiding’ following the ‘heinous crime and subsequent dumping of his body’.

The directorate named the other suspects as Benard Mbunga Mbusu and Alphonse Munyao Kilewa, alias Edu. They were also arrested a year ago for abducting and blackmailing a church pastor.

Last February the Directorate of Criminal investigations said Mbusu, Musembi and Kilewa targeted a pastor as he walked to a restaurant in Nairobi. It was claimed they kidnapped and stripped him.

And they were said to have threatened to embarrass him by releasing photographs of him online. Two other people have also been arrested in connection with the crime. Detectives revealed the gang managed to extort 55,000 Kenyan shillings - around £330.

The directorate said: "The suspects are linked to the brutal murder of 58-year-old Briton Campbell Scott, whose partially decomposed body was found on February 22, 2025 in Makongo Forest, Makueni sub-county.

"Scott had arrived in the country just days earlier to attend a business conference." It has posted images of them on social media site X and urged anyone with information about their whereabouts to contact them.

Mr Scott was last seen attending a conference at the JW Marriot Hotel in Nairobi on February 16. His body was found in a sack in a forest around 66 miles south-east of Nairobi over the weekend of February 22, with his hands tied.

Earlier this week a court in Kenya ruled two suspects in the murder inquiry can be held for 21 days for further police investigations. Reports indicate the pair appeared in court in Milimani on Monday, after being arrested in connection with the death of Mr Scott.

Mr Scott, from Dunfermline, Fife, was a senior director at credit-scoring firm Fico. After his death was confirmed, a Fico spokesperson said: "We are devastated by this tragic news. Campbell was a leader in our international scores business.

"He joined Fico in 2014 and was instrumental in introducing scores to new markets and growing our business with existing partnerships. We mourn his passing and will miss his humour and kindness. Our thoughts are with Campbell’s family and friends."

A spokesman 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.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said previously: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Kenya and are in contact with the local authorities."