Kenya: Man charged with Kiwi's murder

NZ photojournalist Trent Keegan. Photo / Supplied

The father of a New Zealand photojournalist murdered in Kenya more than three years ago hopes the charging of a man with the killing and his trial will explain what happened to his son.

Trent Keegan, 33, was in Africa documenting exploitation when his body was found in a drainage ditch in Nairobi on May 28, 2008.

A soon-to-be-aired documentary has led to Hesbon Amadade being charged.

Amadade, described by Kenyan police as 'a very evil man', will face a Kenyan court next month charged with murder.

He is already in prison charged with the murder of a Kenya Airways pilot this year.

The charges against Amadade followed work by a New Zealand documentary maker Ron Harley who told One News both murders were similar.

"It was just a lightning attack on somebody, beaten on the head, dumped, left for dead."

Concerns have been raised about whether Keegan died because of a connection with the photographic work he was doing in Tanzania - he had told his family he had uncovered a land dispute between a tribe and a safari company and had seen a woman get shot.

Mr Keegan's father Mike Keegan said it was not just a simple mugging and speculation that the murder was a result of a story his son was trying break was backed up by a few sources.

His wallet, cash or passport were not taken in the attack.

Mike Keegan said the death remained a mystery and he wanted to get to the bottom of what actually happened.

Trent Keegan had based himself in Ireland for three years before his trip to East Africa. He freelanced for several Irish newspapers and magazines, and had won several photography awards from the Irish Professional Photographers Association for his work.

- NZPA