The late Willis Ayieko and (inset) Vincent Ouma Okoth before a court in Siaya County. Okoth has been linked to Ayieko's murder.
A suspect who appeared in court on Wednesday following the murder of a top official of a private security firm had previously been charged with robbery with violence.
Mr Vincent Ouma Okoth, 25, who was presented in a Siaya court in connection with the murder of Wells Fargo Human Resource Director Willis Ayieko, had faced the charges in May.
However, the case was withdrawn after prosecutors said witnesses refused to testify, citing threats.
Siaya Magistrate Jacob Mkala on Wednesday allowed the detention of Mr Okoth at Railway Police Station in Kisumu County for 21 days for the police to conduct investigations into the October 23 killing of Mr Ayieko.
This followed an application by State Counsel Evans Soita that was supported by an affidavit by the investigations officer, Oliver Nabonwa.
The magistrate directed that the suspect undergo a mental assessment and that his mobile phone be subjected to forensic examination.
“The cellphone belonging to the respondent, a Redmi Note Pro, will be subjected to forensic examination. The service provider, Airtel Kenya, is hereby directed to give the investigations officer information concerning the SIM card belonging to the respondent,” the magistrate ordered.
The prosecution said that a forensic analysis had placed the suspect at the scene of crime.
Mr Ayieko disappeared on October 18 after visiting a bereaved family in Muhanda, Nyamninia in Gem Sub-County.
Documents in our possession reveal that Mr Okoth appeared in a Siaya court to face robbery with violence charges after an incident that occurred at Ng’iya Market on May 2.
The case, however, did not proceed because the complainant and two witnesses failed to attend court sessions.
Citing his past criminal case, Mr Soita on Wednesday convinced the court to have the suspect detained as investigations into Mr Ayieko’s murder continue.
“The suspect has a history of engaging in criminal acts. In a recent case before Magistrate Benjamin Limo, he threatened witnesses who were due to testify in a case of robbery with violence,” Mr Soita told the court.
A joint team of detectives drawn from the Homicide Unit, Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau and Operations arrested Mr Okoth at Terminus Area in Dandora Phase Four in Nairobi.
The suspect, who is from Siaya County, had at times been hired as a security provider by local politicians.
He appeared in court barely five hours after police engaged another suspect linked to the murder of Mr Ayieko in a fierce gun battle. A woman has been arrested in connection with the case.
Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Mohamed Amin on Wednesday told the Nation that, so far, two suspects are in custody in relation to the murder.
“Two suspects are in custody and the police are pursuing others,” he said.
The woman was arrested during the operation on Wednesday morning that targeted her boyfriend, whom police said escaped with life-threatening injuries.
A shoot-out ensued after the woman and her boyfriend, who are wanted for the murder, defied orders to stop a Toyota Axio car they were driving in.
The Nation understands that due to the high speed, the car rolled during the gun battle.
The police recovered a firearm belonging to Mr Ayieko that was stolen on the day he was killed. It had 14 rounds of ammunition at the time it went missing but had none when it was found.
“The suspect escaped but with life-threatening injuries. Police are pursuing him,” said an officer who spoke in confidence as he is not authorised to speak to the media. Detectives believe the woman has critical information that will aid in the investigations.
