Six Mawanga murder suspects to face murder charge as one is freed
Suspects in the Mawanga murders in Nakuru City: Julius Otieno, Josphat Simiyu, Dennis Mmbolo, Isaac Kinyanjui will be charged on Tuesday
Seven suspects arrested in connection with the killings of women in Mawanga, Bahati, will be charged with murder and one will be freed.
The Nation has learnt that the police plan to charge the six with various counts of murder relating to eight women killed in different parts of Bahati and Nakuru East sub-counties.
Detectives have for the last one month been investigating the murders of Grace Wanjiru, 20, Susan Wambui, 38, Diana Opicho, 23, Beatrice Akinyi, 21, Judy Nyambura, 40, Shadiah Cheupe, 17, and Rimsy Wanjiru, 11, who were killed on different dates.
Appearing before Nakuru Principal Magistrate Isaac Orenge, Police Inspector Peter Kamau, a homicide investigator with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, said he was ready to charge the six suspects.
Mr Kamau said evidence had implicated Mr Evans Michori Kebwaro, 24, Julius Omondi Otieno, 27, Josephat Simiyu Juma, 24, Dennis Alusiola Mmbolo, 25, Isaac Kinyanjui Nganga, 18, and Kelvin Otieno Omondi, alias Fredrick Okoth Odongo, in the killings.
But the detective said Mr Ficky Makokha Wanjala had not been linked directly or indirectly to the killings.
“I wish to close the miscellaneous file since we have concluded our investigations, which have strongly linked Mr Kelvin Otieno together with five other suspects to the crime of murder,” said Mr Kamau.
Mr Otieno was arraigned and has been in custody for two weeks.
He was arrested on July 16, two weeks after the other six suspects were seized.
Mr Kebwaro, the prime suspect in the murders, was arrested in in Masimba, Kisii County, on July 1 and revealed the names of his five accomplices, including Mr Makokha, who were rounded up in Nakuru’s Kivumbini estate.
Mr Makokha was visiting his cousin Josephat Simiyu when the police raided the house and arrested both.
Ms Wanjiru was murdered on June 15, 2020; Ms Wambui on June 21; Ms Opicho on June 24; Ms Akinyi in December 2021; and Ms Nyambura, Ms Cheupe and Ms Wanjiru on June 1.
The murders followed a similar pattern. The suspects targeted the women and robbed, raped and killed them by strangulation before setting their houses on fire.
