Kenyan detectives are on the hunt for a man they fear lured businessman Campbell Scott to his death while on a work trip.
Mr Scott, who was 58 years old, was discovered deceased by herdsmen in Makongo Forest over the weekend. This was after he was declared missing and found more than 80 miles away from the Nairobi hotel where he had been staying.
Officials fear the senior businessman was tortured before being killed, with his body found dumped in a sack with pineapples.
Now detectives are hunting for two men who were seen with Mr Scott in his final hours in the Kenyan capital.
Security cameras captured one individual with the Scot. According to local media, authorities suspect that this person hailed a taxi and then journeyed with the businessman to a slum within the city.
The discovery of Mr Scott’s body in the forest raises concerns as it is known to be a common site for disposing of bodies. Locals are apprehensive about traveling through the area at night due to fears of encountering criminals attempting to conceal their heinous acts.
Mr Scott, originally from Dunfermline in Fife, worked for credit scoring firm Fico and was its senior director of product management based out of its London office.
He arrived in Nairobi on February 15 for a business trip and had been staying at Marriot Hotel in the upmarket Westlands area of the city.
Footage from Kenya’s Citizen TV showing the last sighting of murdered Scottish businessman Campbell Scott
Mr Scott arrived in Nairobi on February 15 for a business trip
Mr Scott arrived in Nairobi on February 15 for a business trip and had been staying at Marriot Hotel (pictured) in the upmarket Westlands area of the city
But the following evening colleagues reported him missing, and his body was found in the Makongo Forest a week later.
Newley released CCTV footage shows Mr Scott, who was dressed in shorts and a Scottish rugby jersey, in the company of another man at 4.39pm on February 16.
Citizen TV Kenya reported it is suspected that the man with Mr Scott requested the taxi and took a ride with the businessman to the city’s Pipeline slum.
Officers working on the case have tracked down and arrested the taxi driver, local press reported, but he has been bailed after giving a statement.
His vehicle, however, has been impounded.
Kenyan media has said detectives are working on the theory that he was held against his will at a house in the notorious slum, in the east of the city, while thieves stole money.
A post mortem is set to be conducted, and detectives are analysing Mr Scott’s mobile phone in a bid to find the killers.
The television network also reported that police are wanting to find out if there were any financial transactions prior to his killing.
Mr Scott’s mutilated body was found dumped in a sack near the Wote-Machakos road on February 22.
Locals have demanded Kenyan authorities act as they are terrified to use the route because of the dangers posed, with the site a regular dumping ground for criminals disposing of bodies.
As recently as 2023 the remains of a man and women were found within a few hundred feet of where Mr Scott was discovered, and the remains of others has been found in the area previously.
Nicholas Muasa, resident of Makongo, said the stretch of road was ‘dangerous’ and that ‘criminals have found a perfect place to dump bodies’.
He told Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation: ‘It is better to find a body near the forest than meet the people dumping it as that means yours will be next to be dumped there.
‘They will not allow you to go after witnessing what they have just done.’
Security camera footage appears to show Mr Scott dressed in cargo pants and a blue shirt shortly before his disappearance
Animal herders discovered the remains of Mr Scott in Makongo forest, 80 miles southeast of where he had been staying in Nairobi
Local trader Benard Mwangangi, who told how he has seen bodies being found in the forest over the past seven years, said: ‘This is not the first time a body has been found here.
‘The fact that the stretch through the forest is deserted encourages criminals to throw bodies there. We do not feel safe.
‘A year cannot end without a body being found in the forest.’
Mr Muasa told local press: ‘Night time is scary. The dumping of bodies here shows that criminals know this area is not secured. We are afraid anything can happen to us. It is time the government ends this.’
Thomas Maitha, a local government administrator, said the injuries inflicted on Mr Scott suggest that he ‘appeared to have been tortured’.
He added: ‘The body, which was in a bad state, prompted us to escalate the matter further.
‘In addition to the physical injuries, the killers had tied his hands from the back and stuffed the body in the sack which had been packed with ripe pineapples.’
