.png)
Detectives have made an additional arrest in the
ongoing investigation into the murder of Willis Ayieko Onyango, a former Human
Resource Manager at Wells Fargo.
The suspect, identified as Otieno Omondi, was
apprehended in Kisumu and is believed to have played a significant role in the
events preceding the tragic incident, police said.
Omondi, a motorcycle rider, is alleged to have
provided transport for Victor Ouma, also known as Sisco, to the location where Ayieko
was abducted, police say investigations have shown.
He told police he took Ouma to the murder scene and that he was paid Sh9,000 for the work.
He added Ouma wore a blue jacket at the time. CCTV footage at various places captures Ouma in the jacket.
The suspect added Ouma took him to a house in Gem where the victim was being detained and came out with a Samsung mobile phone, which they used in the transactions.
Victor Ouma Okoth is currently in police custody and has been
linked to the crime, alongside his deceased brother, Robert Wakolo Okoth, as
well as other yet-to-be-identified individuals.
The investigation is ongoing, with the DCI
actively pursuing several leads to ascertain the full circumstances surrounding
the murder.
Police say Wakolo had been involved in several violent robberies,
including the fatal shooting of a female Mpesa agent in Kisumu on January 27,
2024.
The father of the slain suspect who positively
identified the body at the mortuary told the detectives that the son’s real
name is Robert Wakolo Okoth.
He added that his alias names, based on who asked, were George Oduor Okoth and Kim.
“A national ID card retrieved from a police
exhibit store for wanted criminals earlier seized during a security operation,
and a report obtained from the National Registration Bureau (NRB) confirmed the
father's claim,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said.
Okoth was shot dead in a security operation and
a firearm, a Smith and Walter pistol, recovered from him.
He was ambushed by detectives in his hideout at
Mulberry Guest House opposite Kisumu National Polytechnic.
He had earlier escaped a police dragnet leaving
behind a rolling vehicle and a seriously injured female passenger, who later
died, was fatally injured to subdue him.
Police said the suspect hailed from the Rai area of
Nyamasaria in Kisumu County.
Detectives who had been profiling the hitherto unidentified
robbery suspect linked the 34-year-old to a series of violent attacks.
Wakolo allegedly shot dead Mpesa agent Grace Awino Odera
on January 27 at Kibuye market near Hekima School in Lolwe.
“In the incident, one suspect was arrested, and
an AK 47 rifle earlier robbed from a Ugandan police officer was recovered. Also
recovered was a Toyota Axio used by the suspects in the robbery. Robert Wakolo,
however, managed to get away,” the DCI said.
On May 3, 2024, detectives working on
intelligence leads raided Robert's home in Nyamasaria, recovering another
AK 47 rifle, a magazine and 36 live rounds of ammunition.
Although he managed
to escape, his 17-year-old younger brother and suspected accomplice were
arrested and charged.
Wakolo was also wanted by Kondele police for
robbery with violence and possessing a magazine and ammunition.
Ouma who was arrested in Nairobi’s Dandora
estate was presented at the Siaya Law Courts on October 30.
Investigators were granted 21 days to detain the suspect as part of their probe. Police said Ouma was placed at the crime scene through forensic analysis.
He is also said to have made transactions via Ayieko’s mobile phone. He used the mobile phone to withdraw money from his account.
It was after his arrest that police laid an
ambush for more accomplices in a dramatic shooting the saw the arrest of two women.
One of them died later.
The body of Willis Ayieko was found in a stream
in Gem, Siaya County.
Ayieko went missing on October 18 after
attending a funeral in Gem. The vehicle was found abandoned at a petrol station
in Sabatia, Vihiga county.
Ayieko had left the funeral to spend the night
in his home but it is suspected that he was abducted by unknown people who
killed him.
His hands were handcuffed behind his back,
and the eyes and tongue had been gorged out.
Police in Gem Wagai sub-county, later recovered his pistol which he was robbed of the day he was killed.