Before detectives from the Homicide Unit took over investigations into the gruesome murder of fishmonger Jane Omullo, 26, four people had been marked as persons of interest.
As investigations would later reveal, the only link between these four individuals and the fishmonger was their past connection with her.
As a result, they were treated as prime suspects under the lens of a love triangle.
According to police sources privy to the investigations, this love triangle theory involving some of these four innocent individuals was pursued to shield the main culprit, who, interestingly, was actively assisting the police in Likoni to search for Ms Omullo's killers.
However, the situation took a dramatic turn when the Homicide team, led by Chief Inspector Raphael Wanjohi, was deployed by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters to take over the case and identify the real perpetrators.
The detectives took over the matter on March 13, 2025, more than a month after Ms Omullo had been reported missing and her dismembered remains discovered at various locations in Kwale and Mombasa counties.
Police sources say DCI boss Amin Mohamed was dissatisfied with the initial investigations and thus directed an alternative team to handle the case, which sparked significant public outrage.
When Chief Inspector Wanjohi and his team commenced their work, they dismantled earlier findings and launched fresh investigations, starting with recording new statements from witnesses.
They reviewed witness testimonies and scrutinised the available evidence, which, according to their findings, did not implicate the four individuals who had initially been considered suspects.
McDonald Owino and Alice Achieng as they appear in court in Mombasa in this photo taken on April 30, 2025. They are charged with the murder of fishmonger Jane Omullo after investigations linked them to the crime.
Photo credit: Brian Ocharo | Nation
The four witnesses, along with others, adversely mentioned McDonald Owino and his wife, Alice Achieng, as persons who had closely interacted with the fishmonger.
Interestingly, the couple had not been among the original prime suspects.
During the investigation, the team discovered that Mr Owino and Ms Achieng had relocated to Homa Bay County under unclear circumstances shortly after the death of Ms Omullo.
"On April 14, 2025, we traced and tracked the couple to their new residence at Kowino village in Rachuonyo Sub-county, where they were staying with a relative, as they have no known permanent abode," Mercy Ngai from the Homicide Investigations Bureau in Nairobi stated in an affidavit in court.
The two were escorted to Mombasa as suspects in the murder case, where detectives presented them before the Chief Magistrate’s Court and requested custodial orders, which were granted.
Ms Ngai noted that various documentary and physical exhibits, including mobile phones, were recovered during the investigation and preserved as exhibits pending identification by several witnesses who had adversely mentioned the couple for an identification parade.
"Vaginal swabs were taken from the deceased and escorted to the Government Chemist in Mombasa, where they are being preserved pending DNA comparisons with samples from the suspects," she informed Mombasa Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku.
While seeking custodial orders, the detectives told the court that the couple had lived in the Likoni area for a long time and had built considerable influence, raising concerns about potential interference with witnesses who had already recorded statements and those yet to do so.
"We request the court to remand the respondents at Mbaraki Police Station, or any other police station it deems fit, for 14 days to enable the completion of investigations," she said.
The investigation involved obtaining DNA samples for profiling at the Government Chemist and conducting an identification parade for the two suspects.
On Wednesday, detectives returned to court and reported that investigations into Ms Omullo’s gruesome murder had been completed and that Mr Owino and Ms Achieng would be charged with her killing.
"The investigations are complete. This miscellaneous application file can now be closed, and the respondents will now face a murder charge," said Prosecution Counsel Alex Ndiema.
The couple were subsequently taken before Justice Wendy Micheni but did not enter a plea as they are yet to undergo a mental assessment to determine their fitness to stand trial.
Justice Micheni ordered that the suspects be detained at Shimo la Tewa GK Prison pending mental assessment and plea taking.
While the murder investigation is now complete, detectives have shifted their focus to a possible organ trafficking angle, as several of the fishmonger’s body parts remain missing.
"From the nature of the recovered body parts, there is a suggestion of cult involvement. Therefore, it is my prayer that the respondents undergo a session with a psychologist. Their continued detention may also aid in the recovery of the missing body parts," said Ms Ngai.
The initial reports regarding Ms Omullo’s disappearance and murder were filed at Inuka Police Station under OB number 40/10/02/2025 and at Likoni Police Station under CR 348/31/2025, respectively.
Interestingly, it was Mr Owino who had initially filed the missing person report.
The fishmonger’s mutilated body was found stuffed in a sack and dumped at a small dumpsite in the approved area within Likoni Sub-county on February 8, 2025, slightly six days after she was reported missing.
On February 16 and 18, her wrists, left foot, and head were found in an abandoned and incomplete house in the Ngombeni area of Kwale County.
She was positively identified through DNA profiling, using samples from her mother, Ann Achieng.
"The postmortem revealed the cause of death as asphyxia secondary to ligature and manual strangulation," the officer told the court.
The left and right lower ribs, which were dismembered at the hip level, remain missing and have yet to be recovered.
