Society officials to hang for killing aid agency worker

On March 31, 2008, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) put up a notice informing the public that it was relocating its offices from Lokichogio in Turkana to Juba in South Sudan.

This announcement set in motion a series of events that would hatch a conspiracy to kill Silence Chirara, who was working for the World Food Programme and based in Lokichogio town. David Eipa chaired Lokichogio Multipurpose Cooperative Society, which had been benefiting from contracts to supply services like water, sewerage, electricity and security for the aid agency and the exit of Unicef left him jittery.

Worried for the future of the society, Eipa started scouting for another client, but when he approached Chirara, he got a hostile response, leaving Eipa and his cohorts scratching their heads about how to convince Chirara to sign a contract with them. Eipa decided to stage an attack on Chirara to convince him about the need to hire the society to provide security.

Eipa then asked Francis Karenga and Milton Kabulit to procure a firearm from Koikoi Enono, and then ordered James Kamais to carry out the attack.

On May 7, 2008, a farewell party was held at 748 Hotel in Lokichogio township, and the guest list included the “who is who” in the aid agency community. Chirara was among them.

Chirara arrived at the party at 7pm accompanied by a colleague, Rosemary Wawira. Unknown to him, he was being closely watched by Eipa.

When Chirara and Wawira left the party at 10pm, Eipa made a brief call to Karega and then casually rejoined his friends for a drink.

A few minutes after Chirara dropped Wawira at her home, gunshots rent the air. In a panic, Wawira called Chirara on his cellphone, but it went unanswered.

Guards manning the UN camp watched Chirara’s car slowly approach the gate, then ground to a halt. They opened the car’s door to find Chirara’s lifeless body slumped over the wheel, bleeding from seven bullet wounds all over his body. Six months later, police arrested Eipa and his lieutenants and produced forensic evidence and witness statements linking them to the murder.

Eipa and his accomplices were convicted and sentenced to death. They, however, appealed the decision.

Court of Appeal Judges Roselyn Nambuye, Philomena Mwilu, and Stephen Kairu dismissed their appeal on December 17, 2015.