Fugitive police officer Caroline Kangogo, the two men she is suspected of killing and three other unidentified people met at a club near Nakuru’s Dog Section Police Station on Sunday, a day before the first victim’s body was discovered.
It is not clear what the six discussed, but officers who saw them said they sat together and held discussions before Constable John Ogweno left alone.
Constable Ogweno, whose body was found in his car at the Kasarani police houses early Monday morning, is said to have taken a taxi to the Nakuru town centre that Sunday and stopped at a bank, before proceeding to Merica Hotel on Kenyatta Avenue to meet someone.
Later, Constable Ogweno took a motorcycle to the Kasarani police houses, where he made his way to the residence he shared with Cpl Kangogo at Block 9. Three other people arrived at the house, including Cpl Kangogo.
It is not clear what happened between the time they all met in the house and when the body of Constable Ogweno was discovered in his car at the parking lot.
But by the time of the discovery, Cpl Kangogo and the others were nowhere to be seen. Police are now trying to establish who these people were and what they discussed in the meeting they had.
Cpl Kangogo, 34, is wanted for the murders of two people - Constable Ogweno, 28, in Nakuru on Monday, July 5, and businessman Peter Njiru Ndwiga at a lodging in Juja, Kiambu County, about 200km away.
She is believed to have been engaged in devious deals with several rogue members of the National Police Service in Nakuru even before the murders happened.
Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers believe the officer is being protected by her colleagues and that she escaped to Juja in the company of her alleged second victim, Mr Ndwiga, after the killing of PC Ogweno.
In Juja, Cpl Kangogo withdrew Sh40,000 from a bank on Monday.
The Nation has learnt that investigations into the murders of the two men have been handed over to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ homicide unit.
On Wednesday, Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti held a meeting with selected members of specialised units and sections of the DCI to strategise on how to capture Cpl Kangogo.
Sources privy to the search and investigations said Mr Kinoti has formed a team comprising officers from the Special Services Unit, the Cybercrime Investigating Unit and others to help track down the elusive suspect.
The team, the Nation has learnt, has questioned several of Cpl Kangogo’s colleagues including her best friend, who is said to have communicated with her on Monday.
Investigators have also spoken with the taxi driver who picked up PC Ogweno and the boda boda operator who took him to the Kasarani police houses from Nakuru’s town centre.
The search for Cpl Kangogo has exposed the over-reliance of the National Intelligence Service and DCI on mobile technology to track down suspects, raising the question of whether the switching off of phones by suspects marks the beginning of a dead end.
Cpl Kangogo’s colleagues in Nakuru now believe her life is in danger and have asked the DCI to conduct a fine-tooth comb search for her and ensure she is safe so that she can share her side of the story.
“We believe that there is more to what happened and it is only fair that we hear what she has to say,” an officer said.
The DCI believes Cpl Kangogo is armed and dangerous. The agency has taken to social media to caution the public to be on the lookout for her. Detectives also believe she is in possession of PC Ogweno’s firearm, which was loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition.
But lawyer Cliff Ombeta has asked the police to give the officer-turned-suspect more time to surrender herself and tell her side of the story.
“(Uncock) your weapons and bloodthirsty attitude so that we avoid extrajudicial killings. She definitely will have a story. Ask public to avoid mob justice if spotted,” Ombeta said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the National Police Service has deployed officers to Cpl Kangogo’s rural home to protect her parents.
