Maximillian John Madeni, a Tanzanian gold dealer known within the local trade circles of Bondo, now finds himself at the center of a grim criminal investigation following the discovery of a missing student’s body.
Madeni was reportedly involved in a romantic relationship with Alice Riang’a, a promising second-year student at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST). While Madeni went about his business in the gold trade, Alice was pursuing her dreams through a Bachelor of Education in Science—dreams that were abruptly cut short in early May 2026
Police said the arrest came after the body was identified by the student’s father, Richard Riang’a Kiage. The body had earlier been reported as unidentified.
About 700 students marched peacefully through Bondo town to the police station and later to the mortuary, where they were allowed to view the body before returning to the university.
