KEY POINTS:
The father of New Zealand photo-journalist Trent Keegan who was murdered in Kenya says he wants his son's body out of Nairobi "as soon as possible".
Mike Keegan said he hoped 33-year-old Trent's body would be repatriated tomorrow.
He said there were "various reasons" he wanted to get his son's body back quickly, but said he did not want to disclose them yet.
"We don't want to upset the political situation at all," he said.
Kenyan police have opened a homicide investigation into the killing.
Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said they had traced the movements of Keegan the night before his body was found with head injuries in a ditch in the capital Nairobi.
His wallet and money were recovered but camera equipment and a laptop a friend said he was carrying were missing.
"We are treating the case as a homicide," Kiraithe said. "It does not appear to have been a robbery. If it was a robbery, the logical thing is that the robbers would have also taken his money. Let us not speculate."
He said he was confident of bringing the case to a "logical conclusion".
Mike Keegan will also not speculate on the motive for the killing. He said his son's body had been found in a "nice" part of Nairobi and it appeared he had been walking back to his hotel.
There have been reports that Keegan was investigating a story about land deals which had displaced people, and that his questions could have made him enemies, but Mike Keegan would not comment on that.
"Trent loved the world. He had a feeling there were people less fortunate than others and he wanted to see if something could be done to right wrongs. I don't know if he was on a one man crusade or not. But he had an affinity with people."
He said there was still " confusion" over his son's death and hoped it would become clear in the near future.
Trent Keegan's friend, Irish artist Dave Redmond, said the New Zealander was carrying expensive equipment when the two met at a bar the night he was killed.
"We left the bar together and shook hands at 9.30pm while saying goodbye. He walked to the taxi and I heard him talking to the driver that the fare [to] take him into the city centre was too much," Redmond told the Associated Press.
"The last thing I remember him saying before he left was he does not feel safe travelling with equipment worth ¬30,000 ($60,716)."
Prime Minister Helen Clark has called for a thorough investigation into the photographer's death.
"Our thoughts are with the family and associates of this talented young New Zealander during this difficult time," she said in a statement.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was in touch with the Keegan family, "providing assistance and advice" in helping to bring Trent's body back to New Zealand. Mike Keegan said MFAT had been "excellent". Violent crime is so widespread in Nairobi that locals have nicknamed it Nairobbery.
- NZPA
