Suspect on the run over killing

Suspect on the run over killing. [Photo: Courtesy]

Police are in pursuit of a man suspected to have killed his neighbour and dumped his body in a pit latrine.

Relatives of 35-year-old Stephen Onyango had filed a missing person report at Nyando Police Station last week.

Austin Omollo, a nephew, said they had been searching for Onyango in vain.

“We have been looking for him everywhere. We were passing this place when a bad smell raised our suspicion,” said Mr Omollo.

When the kin confronted the suspect about Onyango's whereabouts, he claimed not to have seen him for a long time. He also could not explain why a foul smell was emanating from his compound.

“He pretended to be going into his house to bring us seats, but we later realised he had escaped,” Omollo said.

The nephew said they traced the foul smell to a pit latrine, where they found Onyango's body dumped together with the decomposing carcasses of three dogs.

When The Standard visited the crime scene, villagers had burnt two houses said to belong to the suspect, who was reportedly released from Kodiaga Prison four months ago.

Nyando OCPD Leonard Matete said they found several shallow pits in the compound and would be trying to find out if they could be holding the bodies of two other missing residents.