Soldier in custody over abduction, murder of 26 year old neighbour's son

The soldier and the parents of the deceased man are immediate neighbours in Kahawa Kimbo and have known each other for over 30 years. [Courtesy]

A soldier is in custody following the killing of a 26-year-old neighbour who was abducted by gunmen outside their home in Kiambu.

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Warrant Officer Two Zephaniah Yaro Karhayu was arrested 10 days ago in Githurai Kimbo following the murder of Austin Okemwa Ogega.

Okemwa was abducted by unknown gunmen on July 6th, this year, outside their home in Kahawa Kimbo.

The soldier, who is based at the department of Defence (DoD) headquarters, was taken by police after witnesses identified him as one of the three men who kidnapped Okemwa.

He was booked under OB 20/7/7/2018.

The soldier and the parents of the deceased man are immediate neighbours in Kahawa Kimbo and have known each other for over 30 years.

The late Okemwa’s father who retired recently from DoD where he worked as a civilian in the AFCO on Tuesday narrated to the Standard how his first born son disappeared.

 “My son used to work as a casual in construction sites around my home. On that Friday, he was outside our home when a car with four occupants arrived. Three men walked towards my son, grabbed him with one hitting him with a gun butt on his head. They then bundled him to the car and drove away,” the distraught Ibrahim Ogega Okemwa said.

According to Mr. Ogega, those who witnessed the incident rushed to inform him that the son had been taken away after Yaro pointed at him.

Worried about the events, the man rushed to the nearby Kimbo police station but did not find his son prompting him to check at the next station (Kahawa police post).  

When the results yielded nothing, he went to Kasarani police station but also results turned negative. He was advised to check at Ruiru police station.

“The previous week, my son had a psychical confrontation with my neighbour’s son which led to the damage of spectacles of the other boy. He came home and said dad I may be arrested anytime,” Ogega says.

On the same day the son was arrested, the father only concluded that the neighbour may have made a report at police for malicious damage and thus his son was on the hands of the police.

However when the search failed, the police advised him to report formally the disappearance which was done under OB/54/6/7/18.

The next day (Saturday) while preparing to return to the police station, he received a call from a stranger informing him of a man who had been abandoned along Kangundo road but appeared critically ill.    

The caller said he had found the number of the dad inscribed on the man’s trouser. Mr Ogega then returned to Kimbo police station where he gave the investigators the number of the caller who turned out to be a fellow police officer.

The officer said they had discovered the man during one of their patrols and advised the family to go to KNH were Okemwa was fighting for his life.

“He only opened his eyes, stared at me while trying to raise his hand. He showed me a sign of four fingers and then went into coma,” the father adds.

Mr. Ogega was then called by the OCS Kimbo police station and asked to record a statement together with witnesses to enable the ssuepcts to be arrested. While at the station, he received a call that his son had passed on.

Post-mortem report showed that Okemwa succumbed to three gunshot wounds and a knife stab at his left side of the neck.