Chilling Confession: Ex-Boyfriend Lured RIAT Student Benter Apondi to Her Death with Fake Attachment Offer

Steven Coleman Okoth allegedly confessed to planning the murder of RIAT student Benter Apondi using a fake job attachment as bait. Read the chilling details of the case.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 13, 2026, 9:18 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from TUKO.co.ke

The Deceptive Lure

New details have emerged regarding the brutal murder of Benter Apondi, a student at Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology (RIAT) in Kisumu. According to her aunt, Arich Ndege, the suspect, Steven Coleman Okoth, confessed that the heinous act was meticulously planned. Okoth allegedly used Apondi’s professional aspirations against her, claiming he could introduce her to someone who would help her secure a mandatory industrial attachment. This ruse successfully drew her away from the safety of her home and into the hands of her killers.

Interrogation and Timeline of the Crime

After initially avoiding cooperation with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Okoth reportedly broke down after a week of questioning. He claimed that Apondi was killed at approximately 1 pm on the day of her disappearance. In a calculated move to delay a search, the suspects allegedly kept Apondi’s phone and sent fake messages at midnight to her family, neighbors, and her college class representative. These messages were intended to impersonate her and create a false narrative that she was alive but in a vague state of danger to confuse the initial police report.

Discovery in RIAT Forest

Following his confession, Okoth led police officers to the specific location within the RIAT Forest where the assault and murder took place. Apondi’s body had been discovered in the same vicinity days after she was reported missing, bearing signs of a violent struggle. The Milimani area of Kisumu has been identified as the initial site of the assault before she was moved to the forest. The DCI has officially linked Okoth to the crime, identifying him as the primary orchestrator of the attack.