On the surface, Nicholas Koskei was living the ultimate Kenyan dream. If you scrolled through his Instagram in 2017, you’d see a “Rich Farmer,” a #Millionaire, a devout Christian, and a doting father of two handsome boys. He was a high-flyer at the UN, a man who loved the finer things and made sure the world knew it.
But tucked away at the very beginning of his feed—the first story he ever posted—is a single, chilling photo of a woman. The caption? “RIP forever in our hearts.” No name. No context. Just a cold, digital tombstone posted on Saturday, July 8, 2017.
What the followers didn’t know was that the man behind the camera had just extinguished the life of the woman in the photo: his wife, Rhoda Mumbi Mutua.
The Crack in the Diamond
Rhoda was the “baby” of the Muturi family—intelligent, caring, and deeply loved. She met Nicholas while interning at the UN, and for a while, they were the “it” couple. They had two sons and a lifestyle most would envy.
But by early 2017, the diamond was cracking. Nicholas was coming home late. He was distant. On Valentine’s Day, while Rhoda waited at home, Nicholas was reportedly out with another woman. Rhoda poured her heart out to her sister and a friend on WhatsApp: “I don’t trust him anymore.”
The “Romantic” Trap
In July 2017, Nicholas suddenly played the part of the doting husband. He planned a weekend getaway to celebrate his 36th birthday and “work on their marriage” at the Jakaranda Lake Elementaita Lodge.
Rhoda was hopeful. She thought this was the turning point. She didn’t know it was an ambush.
When Nicholas called the hotel to book room 17, he didn’t just ask for a view. He was obsessed with one detail: The room MUST have a bathtub. He told the receptionist his wife “loved baths.” In reality, he was choosing his crime scene.
Greetings from Elementaita
On Friday, they dropped their boys at Rhoda’s sister’s place. By Saturday afternoon, they were checking into the lodge. They headed to the pool. Nicholas even snapped a photo and sent it to the family WhatsApp group: “Pokeeni salamu kutoka Elementaita” (Receive greetings from Elementaita).
They looked like a happy couple. They ordered drinks—beer for him, ginger tea for her. At 6:45 PM, they headed back to the room. That was the last time anyone saw Rhoda Mumbi alive.
The “Jogger” in Blue Jeans
Two hours later, a waiter named Ambrose bumped into Nicholas. The “Millionaire” was panting and sweating profusely.
“Ready for dinner?” the waiter asked.
“I just got back from a jog,” Nicholas replied.
But something was off. Nicholas wasn’t in gym gear; he was wearing blue jeans and slip-on shoes. He looked distressed, pacing the terrace, claiming he was calling his wife but she wasn’t picking up.
By 9:30 PM, he was at the front desk begging for a spare key. He led a security guard, Dalmas, to room 17. Nicholas opened the door, walked to the bathroom, and then—in a performance for the ages—he dropped to his knees, clutching his head.
“Is there a doctor? My wife has collapsed!”
The Scene That Didn’t Add Up
When the guards and police arrived, they found Rhoda lifeless in the tub. A bottle of Bailey’s and a glass were perched on the edge. It looked like a tragic accident—a woman who’d had too much to drink and drowned.
But the police weren’t buying it.
1.The Bone-Dry Bathroom: Rhoda was in a tub of water, yet the bath mat and the floor were completely dry. There was no soap in the water.
2.The “Jogger’s” Eye: Nicholas had a fresh, nasty injury under his eye.
3.The Phone Habit: While his wife’s body was still in the room, a police officer noticed Nicholas wasn’t grieving—he was busy “crawling” through his phone.
The Unraveling
Before the autopsy even happened, Nicholas began to panic. He met Rhoda’s cousin, Dr. Michenni, and tried to spin a new web. He claimed Rhoda was a “drug addict.” He admitted they’d had a “scuffle” and he’d “roughed her up around the neck.” He even claimed he found a needle in her arm and removed it to “save the family’s dignity.”
He was trying to get ahead of the truth. But science doesn’t lie.
The autopsy revealed Rhoda died of mechanical strangulation. She hadn’t drowned. She hadn’t overdosed. The toxicology report was crystal clear: Zero alcohol. Zero drugs. Nicholas had planted that Bailey’s bottle to frame his dead wife.
Even darker? Forensic experts found his search history: “Head and neck injuries,” “drowning,” and “injecting drugs into veins.” He hadn’t just snapped; he had researched how to kill her.
Eight Years of Shadows
Nicholas didn’t go down easy. He used his money and influence to dance around the law for years. He even faked insanity in remand, rocking back and forth and shouting, “I killed my wife for love!” Once out on bond, the “insanity” vanished. He went back to work at the UN, took “happy” photos with the sons whose mother he had stolen, and told people Rhoda had died of cancer.
But the shadows eventually caught up. Thanks to relentless pressure from Rhoda’s family and the #JusticeForRhoda movement, the truth finally landed.
On March 4, 2025, the “Rich Farmer” of Instagram was finally unmasked. Justice Richard Mwongo found Nicholas Koskei guilty of the brutal murder of Rhoda Mumbi.
The man who wanted to be a “Millionaire” icon ended up as a cautionary tale: You can scrub a crime scene, and you can curate an Instagram feed, but you can’t hide the truth from the silent shadows
The court sentenced him to life in prison for the murder of Rhoda Mumbi Mutua.
Justice Richard Mwongo, in his ruling, noted the gravity of the crime—a cold, premeditated act disguised as a romantic getaway. The sentencing was a massive victory for the #JusticeForRhoda campaign and her family, who had fought since 2017 to ensure the former UN employee didn’t use his influence to walk free forever.
