logo

Wells Fargo manager’s eyes were gouged out, ears chopped off

The family says his gun which was loaded with 14 bullets is missing.

image
by CYRUS OMBATI

News24 October 2024 - 09:55

In Summary


  • They  gouged out his eyes, chopped his ears and dragged his body on a rough surface.
  • The family of Willis Ayieko who saw the body moments after it was discovered said the killers also tortured him.


Composite image of Wells Fargo HR Manager Willis Ayieko and his car that was abandoned. IMAGE: COURTESY

The killers of the Wells Fargo Human Resource (HR) manager whose body was found in a stream in Yala, Siaya County stole his pistol.

They also gouged out his eyes, chopped his ears and dragged his body on a rough surface.

The family of Willis Ayieko who saw the body moments after it was discovered said the killers also tortured him.

“The killing was brutal because they removed his eyes, chopped the ears and tortured his stomach and face,” said his brother.

The body was discovered in the Mungowere stream in Yala, Siaya County on October 23 at 2pm.

Ayieko, 55 was a licensed gun holder, Nyanza Regional Criminal Investigations Officer Lenny Kisaka said.

Officials at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Kisumu Airport said when he departed and arrived respectively, he was armed with a pistol that had 14 bullets.

The family had reported he was missing on Monday, October 21. Police said the body was decomposed when a student discovered it.

It had bruises on the face and stomach indicating it was dragged on a rough surface.

The motive of the murder is yet to be established.

A team of homicide detectives from DCI headquarters joined those on the ground on Thursday to pursue the murder.

Kisaka said the body was discovered a few kilometres from where Ayieko’s four-wheel drive car was found abandoned.

The body was half-naked and seemed to have been tortured elsewhere before being dumped at the scene.

The killers then drove his car to the Sabatia area which is a few kilometres away and abandoned it on the roadside.

Ayieko went missing last Friday October 18 after attending a burial vigil event in Gem, Siaya County.

He had stayed until about 10 pm before he left the funeral never to be found alive.

Police say CCTV footage captured two men abandoning Ayieko's pick-up near a fuel station in Sabatia.

Investigators are hoping to identify the men to provide critical information on how they obtained the vehicle.

It is not clear why Ayieko was targeted.

A team of detectives visited various places the car passed as part of the probe into the murder.

He departed the city at around 1 pm Friday but never returned home, sparking concerns about his whereabouts.

His friends said Ayieko was expected to attend another event in Kakamega on Saturday, October 19, but he never arrived.

Some of his friends and family members say speculated that Ayieko's disappearance may be linked to his role as a Human Resource Manager.

Siaya governor James Orengo condemned the abduction and murder of Ayieko.

“I am extremely shocked and saddened by the abduction, brutal and senseless murder of Willis Ayieko, a great son of Siaya and a Kenyan patriot.  A gentleman par excellence.  A good man.”

“To his beloved wife and children, my friends Aggrey Onyango, Edwin Ng’ong’a and the family, I pray that the Almighty gives you the strength and fortitude to bear this most tragic loss. When will the abductions stop and assassinations end?” he posed.


logo© The Star 2024. All rights reserved