Murders gone cold: Shattered kin in the dark as state remains silent

Family members at the grave of late Chris Msando in Lifunga village in Siaya county on 30th July 2022. (Collins Oduor, Standard) They were fathers, daughters, businesspeople, lawmakers, and security officers - all victims of violent deaths that once shook the nation. The media screamed with roaring headlines, the public demanded justice, and senior government officers promised to investigate the killings. From the death of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission ICT Manager Chris Msando (2017), the execution-style shooting of whistle-blower Jacob Juma (2016), the mysterious death of Sergeant Kipyegon Kenei (2020), a security officer in the Deputy President's office, businessman Meshack Yebei (2015), Senator Mutula Kilonzo (2013), and Careen Chepchumba (2012), a Kenya Power engineer and the brutal death of university student Mercy Keino (2011). But years later, their killers remain free, no trials have been held, and explanations remain elusive. Families are left stranded in grief, caught between memories of their kin and State silence. Despite the government enacting the National Coroners Service Act in 2017 to ensure independent death inquiries, not a single State coroner has ever been appointed. Eight years on, the country's dead remain unexamined by a formal coroner system, even in cases of suspicious, violent, or unexplained deaths. "What we have is a system of forgetting," says Florence Mutua, a Nairobi-based pathologist. "A person is killed, buried quietly, and the file disappears. No coroner. No justice," Dr Mutua said. While the exact number of unresolved murders in the country remains elusive, media investigations, police insiders, and civil society reports suggest the figure runs into the hundreds every year. Nearly all cases reflect systemic problems that include political interference, weak forensic practice, intimidation of witnesses, underresourced investigative agencies, and institutional inertia. Further, many of the crime scenes are contaminated or poorly documented, and autopsies are conducted under police supervision, despite the 2017 Coroners Service Act promising independent investigations. "In some cases, we are told to stop asking questions," a senior detective told The Standard. "When the orders come, we obey." And in some cases, inquests were conducted and have failed to yield prosecution. In April 30, 2025, Charles Ong'ondo Were, the ODM MP for Kasipul was gunned down at traffic lights near the Nairobi Funeral Home by gunmen on a motorcycle. His driver and bodyguard, unharmed, sparked outrage over why security failed to react. ODM and President William Ruto condemned the killing, calling for swift justice. The MP had previously spoken of threats to his life. Police arrested five suspects and recovered a firearm, but no trial date has been set three months later. A 2022 investigation into Yala River in western Kenya uncovered 36 bodies, many bound, mutilated, or gagged. Most remain unidentified. No formal inquests have been held. Similarly, during the anti-Finance Bill protests between 2024 and 2025, more than 100 people were reportedly killed, according to human rights groups led by The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. In 2025, more than 25 protesters died in anti-government demonstrations. On June 25, at least 16 were killed, 400 injured. Live ammunition, tear gas, and rubber bullets were fired in densely populated areas. "Justice is being delayed indefinitely," said a protester Wanjiku Gichuru. "It's now a pattern." Many deaths are recorded in morgues as accidents or "unknown causes." Autopsies are rare or frustrated, and judicial inquiries, rarer still. "When people die in the context of protests, especially where police are involved, there is a pattern, the government closes ranks," says human rights lawyer Gitobu Imanyara. "The State avoids inquests because it fears accountability." The 2017 killing of Msando, just days before the General Election, shocked the nation. Msando was a key figure in the electronic transmission of election results during the contentious 2017 polls. He mysteriously vanished, and days later, he was found dead in a forest near Kikuyu, alongside that of 21-year-old Carol Ngumbu, who was believed to be an acquaintance. His body bore clear signs of torture, broken limbs, deep cuts, and evidence of strangulation. When his mutilated body was discovered, public outcry was fierce, and government officials promised a swift and thorough investigation. But eight years on, no suspects have been arrested, and no one has been held accountable. His family, particularly his son, continues to demand answers, in vain. Similarly, the death of Sergeant Kipyegon Kenei, a security officer in the Deputy President's office in February 2020, captured national attention, only to be quickly swept under the rug. The scene was staged to look like a suicide, but former DCI boss George Kinoti called it murder and promised a swift probe into the death. Kenei was scheduled to testify in the Sh39 billion fake arms scandal involving former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa, who was initially acquitted by the trial court due to lack of evidence, but the case was reinstated by the High Court after the Director of Public Prosecution appealed. Kenei was a key prosecution witness in the case, as CCTV footage placed him at the Deputy President's office on the day of a meeting to discuss the illegal arms deal. Kenei reportedly witnessed the signing of the alleged multi-billion-shilling fake arms contract between Echesa and two foreigners, Kozlowski Stanley Bruno, the chief executive of the US-based ECO Advanced Technologies, and Mamdough Mostafa Lofty from Egypt. Afterward, he vanished. His phone was wiped. A note was found, but the handwriting didn't match. President Ruto, then Deputy President, attended the funeral and praised the officer, terming him as loyal, hardworking. He promised to ensure the killers are held accountable. "He was loyal and honest," Ruto said. "He was killed because someone wanted to sabotage my office." Over five years later, the investigations into Kenei's murder have never been made public. No arrests have been made, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has not instituted an inquest into his death. Jacob Juma's death in May 2016 shook the nation. Known for his fierce criticism of government corruption and his bold public statements, Juma had made powerful enemies. Days before his murder, Juma claimed, on social media and in interviews, that his life was in danger. On the night of May 5, 2026, hours before he had planned to leave the country, Juma was ambushed and gunned down near Lenana School on Nairobi's Ngong Road. His bullet-riddled vehicle was found abandoned, with his body slumped behind the wheel. The killing was brutal and clearly targeted. Juma's killers fired more than 10 rounds, sparing nothing. Politicians, activists, and the public accused the State of orchestrating or at least covering up the murder. Despite promises of a full investigation by senior government officials, progress was slow and opaque. Security footage from nearby areas reportedly went missing, and no arrests were ever made. The case soon went cold. In April 2013, another mysterious death also rocked the country, where Senator Mutula Kilonzo, a lawyer and former minister collapsed at his Machakos farm. Initial reports claimed a heart attack, but a detailed autopsy, witnessed by familyappointed pathologists and British experts, revealed massive internal bleeding and the presence of novel ephedrine pellets in his stomach lining and liver, suggesting poisoning. Yet after years of inquest proceedings and even allegations of tampered toxicology samples, the official conclusion in 2020 ruled out foul play. Two years later, another highprofile killing shook the nation, this time in the country's rugged Tsavo National Park. Meshack Yebei, a businessman and alleged environmental crime whistle-blower, was found dead in 2015. He had been linked to the International Criminal Court case against Ruto and was believed to be a defence witness. He vanished after visiting a clinic in Turbo. Days later, his mutilated body was discovered. The ICC distanced itself, saying he was not on their witness list. Still, they expressed regret. The investigation fizzled, and his killers remain unknown. Another tragedy that shook the nation was the death of Mercy Keino in 2011. A 23-year-old University of Nairobi student, Mercy, was last seen attending a lavish party in Westlands, Nairobi. Witnesses reported she had been slapped and ejected from the venue. Hours later, her body was found along Waiyaki Way. Yet, despite a public inquest and media pressure, no one was held accountable. In early 2012, Careen Chepchumba, a 26-year-old engineer working with Kenya Power, was found dead in her apartment in Nairobi's Kilimani neighborhood. The death were suspicious. newsdesk@standardmedia.co.ke Strangled in her bed, with a handwritten note by her side, Careen's death quickly drew media attention, especially after it was revealed she had been in a troubled relationship with a prominent television news anchor. Kabogo was cleared after her death was officially ruled accidental. For her family, the story didn't end with the conclusion of the inquest, it simply faded from the headlines, unresolved and painful. In early 2012, Careen Chepchumba, a 26-year-old engineer working with Kenya Power, was found dead in her apartment in Nairobi's Kilimani neighborhood. The circumstances were suspicious. Strangled in her bed, with a handwritten note by her side, Careen's death quickly drew media attention, especially after it was revealed she had been in a troubled relationship with a prominent television news anchor. Her family strongly rejected the suggestion of suicide, citing instances of abuse, emotional manipulation, and financial exploitation. Still, no charges were filed. Investigators quietly shelved the case. Today, Careen's room remains untouched by her grieving father, a shrine to a life abruptly cut short and a justice system that simply walked away. In 2003, constitutional expert Chrispine Mbai was assassinated. His killers were arrested, then freed. That same year, William Munuhe, an FBI informant helping trace genocide fugitive Felicien Kabuga, was found dead. His body had a bullet wound but was burned to suggest suicide. The mysterious death of Agnes Wanjiru in 2012 at a hotel in Nanyuki also shocked the country and exposed the deep cracks in the country's justice system, especially when foreign interests are involved. Agnes, a 21-year-old mother, was last seen alive at the Lions Court Hotel, where she had reportedly been socializing with British soldiers stationed nearby for training exercises. A week later, her body was found dumped in a septic tank behind the hotel. She had been brutally murdered, her body showed signs of stab wounds and blunt force trauma. Her baby daughter was left behind, motherless and forgotten in the system that failed them both. Eyewitness accounts, including an alleged confession by a British soldier, were ignored for years. Though a 2013 inquest concluded that Agnes had been murdered by one or more British soldiers, no arrests were made. Key evidence went missing. Witnesses claimed there had been a cover-up involving both Kenyan authorities and the British military. Years later, in 2021, the case resurfaced internationally when a UK newspaper revealed that a soldier had privately confessed to the killing, and that others in his unit knew about it. In an effort to get justice, Wanjiru's family earlier this year also filed a constitutional petition in the Milimani High Court to have the DCI compelled to release the investigation report and all documentation necessary for the prosecution of her perpetrator. For Agnes Wanjiru's family, the silence from both governments is a second tragedy. Her daughter has grown up without a mother, and with no resolution. According to Wanjiru's family lawyer Mbiyu Kamau, the case remains an open wound, one that continues to symbolize how class, race, and power can influence whose life matters, and whose doesn't. On August 9, 2022, at Chebukwabi Primary School in Bungoma County a gunshot broke the calm. Seconds later, 21-year-old Brian Olunga fell in the front seat of a vehicle, blood streaming from his head. Screams erupted across the polling station and its environs. Eyewitnesses accused Barasa of pulling the trigger. During the trial, Witnesses' testimonies, forensic evidence became inconsistent, and ultimately, the bullet fragments were ruled inconclusive. In July 2023, Lady Justice Rose Ougo acquitted Barasa, citing insufficient evidence and conflicting witness accounts. Olunga's grieving father, Tobias Olunga, was left devastated. "My son died in broad daylight. And no one is held responsible?" he said. The escape of serial killer Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, 33, who was arrested after bodies were discovered during last year's Gen-Z anti-government demonstrations, which began in June 2024, stunned the nation. During this period, tens of Kenyans were reported missing. Khalusha was arrested in July 2024 after 10 bodies and several body parts were found wrapped in plastic sacks in the Kware area of Nairobi. The grisly discovery was made at a quarry located just 100 metres from a police station. Following his arrest, Mohamed Amin, the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), claimed that Khalusha confessed to murdering 42 women, including his wife. "He confessed to having lured, killed, and disposed of 42 female bodies at the dumping site," Amin said. The revelation sparked national outrage, with many Kenyans asking how 42 people could be murdered in the space of two years without police noticing. Khalusha was arraigned in court and detained for 30 days pending further investigations. However, just days before his formal arraignment in August last year, he mysteriously escaped custody from Nairobi's Gigiri Police Station, one of the city's most secure facilities, along with 12 other detainees. Five officers from Gigiri Police Station, Corporal Ronald Babo and Constables Evans Kipkurui, Gerald Mutuku, Mollent Achieng, and Zachary Nyabuto were later arrested for aiding the escape but were quickly released on Sh200,000 personal bond each pending investigations. To date, Khalusha remains at large. Police have not located or rearrested him, and no officer has been charged or held accountable. But with each passing day, and no clear leads, fears are mounting that the man who confessed to killing dozens may never face justice.

Murders gone cold: Shattered kin in the dark as state remains silent

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