Form four student, security guard killed in attack on Kericho school

Police and members of the public move the body of slain Kaptebeswet secondary school student to a police vehicle for transfer to Kericho County Hospital mortuary- [PHOTO BY NIKKO TANUI]

Machete wielding assailants struck Kaptebeswet Secondary School in Ainamoi and killed a form four student and a watchman before escaping with at least six computers, public address systems, gas cylinders among other items.

When The Standard arrived at the school located along Kericho- Kisumu road, 3kms from Kericho town, the lifeless body of the male student Hillary Kipkurui Langat which had multiple machete wounds lay lifeless in an iron sheet house he was living in at the school compound.

The late Langat, a student who was set to sit this year's Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), had remained in the school compound to study as the rest broke for the second term school holidays.

The body of the watchman Henry Korir which also had multiple slash wounds with the hands tied with a sisal string at the back lay in a pool of blood at the staffroom.

Confirming the foul murders, Kericho East Deputy county commissioner Stanslous Apowkha said a milkman who arrived at the scene at 6:47 am found the gate closed and on further inspection stumbled on the gory sight.

"We have launched immediate investigations into the murders and theft of school properties. Though we are yet to arrest any suspect we are going to conduct thorough investigations and we are confident that we will catch up with the culprits," said Apowkha.

"We appeal to members of the public who might have any information which might assist with the investigations to come forward and help us resolve the murder mystery," he added.

Bodies of the deceased were taken to Kericho county hospital mortuary.

Kipchebor ward MCA Erick Bett appealed to security agencies to intensify patrols in the ward which cuts into Kericho town.

"I received the news of the death of the student and the watchman with great sadness," he said.

Bett, at the same time called for the resuscitation of the Community Policing initiative commonly known as Nyumba Kumi peace initiate.

"We would like members of the local community to know who their neighbour is because criminals live amongst us and the solution for the state of insecurity is to expose them," he said.