Inside the reclusive life of slain Treasury ex-official, Tom Osinde

The late Osinde had a taste for the finer things in life: He drove a Toyota Land Cruiser 300, and his imposing house sat on 10 acres in the high-end Nakuru estate.

Osinde's decomposing body was discovered in Migori County, where his family, led by his brother Enock Nemwel Osinde, positively identified it, ending weeks of a frantic search for the former Treasury official.

It emerged on Thursday that the body, recovered from the Kuja River in Migori, had been lying in a mortuary for a week as the family searched for their loved one.

Having retired recently, Osinde's home in Ngata was the perfect place for him to stay, sharing the palatial house with his workers and occasionally venturing out on errands.

Limited to his circle of friends

Those who knew him say the former National Treasury official's public appearances were limited to his circle of friends. His last public appearance was on May 3, 2023, at the burial of a former senior security officer at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Livingstone Kipkoech Ruto, held within Ngata.

Read: Workers recall Tom Mokaya Osinde’s last moments before disappearing

At the funeral, he spoke on behalf of the "Ngata elders," eulogising the deceased as having made a mark within the estate establishment. That role confirms Osinde's elevated status in Ngata, a stamp of approval from his wealthy neighbours.

His limited public appearances, according to those who knew him, were his preferred way of life. He spent most of his time attending to personal affairs until he was reported missing.

"He preferred a life of solitude. Maybe it was a personal choice, but what is too obvious is that he was very private," said a neighbour.

Another neighbour also described him as a private person who rarely went to social places in Nakuru.

Read: Detectives arrest two workers at home of missing ex-Treasury official

"In Ngata, not many people know Osinde. In fact, during the burial of the late Livingstone Kipkoech Ruto, when he represented Ngata elders, some neighbours said they did not know him. They asked, 'Who is this man?' A clear indication that he was a private person," the neighbour revealed.

Others, however, such as former President Daniel arap Moi's press secretary Lee Njiru, who lived near the late Osinde, described him as a "respected Ngata elder who lived his life".

Shows his pedigree

"He was a highly respected man and had earned enough respect among the people of Ngata. That he was allowed to speak during the late Mzee Ruto's funeral shows his pedigree," Mr Njiru told the Nation.

Those who knew him personally are yet to come to terms with his death, with one social media user saying, "May his killers never know peace... very saddened by his death."

Read: Drugged and murdered? Last moments of Tom Osinde revealed

On his sprawling 10-acre farm in Ngata, the late Osinde practised mixed farming and enjoyed the company of his workers, including casual labourers.

Osinde attended the University of Nairobi, where he studied economics. After graduating, he worked for the Ministry of Finance for years.

Known for his expertise in financial management, he retired from the Treasury recently before venturing into private business.

A relative of the deceased, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that "the Osindes are a close-knit family with close ties to well-connected Gusiiland families, including that of the late Cabinet minister Simeon Nyachae and Prof Sam Ongeri.

"Osinde, like his siblings, was a very hardworking man. The hardest-working man I've ever known. He's someone all of us, his relatives, are trying to emulate," said the relative.

Osinde was a brother of Ken Osinde, the former chief of staff in the office of then-Deputy President William Ruto (now President). Ken, a former lecturer at the University of Nairobi, also served as Kenya's ambassador to Germany between 2010 and 2014 before becoming chief of staff at Harambee House Annex. He died in a Nairobi hospital in October 2021 after a brief illness.

Osinde also has another brother, Nemwel Enoch Osinde, who helped identify his body. Little is known about his other immediate family.

Questioning his two workers

As relatives, neighbours, and friends processed the shocking news of his death on Thursday, detectives investigating his murder revealed that they were questioning his two workers at the Ngata home.

Read: Ex-Treasury official Tom Mokaya missing, his car found vandalised

Among the workers being held by detectives is Julius Mogoi, whom preliminary investigations have placed at the scene of the murder. Mr Mogoi, a labourer on Osinde's Ngata farm, hails from South Mugirango constituency in Kisii County. He is said to have allegedly confessed to the murder to senior police officers.

"We are holding two of Osinde's workers, including a casual labourer, Julius Mogoi, whom we are treating as the mastermind of the killing," revealed a senior detective involved in the investigation.

According to the detectives, Mr Mogoi allegedly gave the detectives the location at River Kuja, where he dumped the body.

Detectives believe the worker committed the crime in Kisii County with other accomplices who helped him dump the body in River Kuja.

"We are piecing together more information and may make more arrests in connection with the murder. We are interrogating the two, and so far they are giving useful information about the disappearance and eventual murder of Osinde," revealed Rongai Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer Donatta Atieno.

Reports indicate that Osinde may have been drugged inside his Ngata home and driven miles away to Migori County where he was murdered and his body thrown into River Kuja.