How slain IEBC manager son's phone led to arrest of her killers

Joseph Sunday Otieno and Bryan Templer Oyare at the Mombasa High Court in Mombasa County on Friday 7 February 2025, where they were charged with killing Kilifi IEBC manager Aisha Akinyi Abubakar. [Kelvin Karani, Standard]

Two people charged with the January 4, 2025 murder of Kilifi County IEBC manager Aisha Akinyi Abubakar were traced through a mobile phone they stole during the attack.

Police Constable Oscar Mugala told Justice Wendy Ntinyari on Tuesday that the first accused person, Joseph Sunday, was arrested using a mobile phone of Qassim Mrisho, Abubakar's son.

The police officer told the High Court that Sunday, after being arrested, he claimed that he had bought the phone from his co-accused, Brian Oyare.

He further told Justice Wendy Ntinyari that the SIM card that the accused person was using in the stolen phone was registered by someone else and not the accused person.

“The SIM card in the phone was registered in the name of Bryan Shikuku, and inside the phone’s cover was Shikuku’s identity number. Further investigations unmasked Shikuku, who we found serving a sentence in prison,” the officer told the high court.

He further informed the high court that the deceased’s son, Kassim, confirmed that the attackers did not cover their faces during the attack.

During the same hearing, a pathologist confirmed that the slain IEBC manager died due to haemorrhagic shock following deep cuts to the head.

The pathologist, Mbuko Ngare, told the high court that he received Ms Abubakar’s body, which was wrapped in a white-blooded sheet.

He told the high court that she was in a bloodied maroon nightdress, and she was wounded on the head.

The doctor further said that the deceased was bloodied on the face, neck and upper chest with a marked conjunctival pallor.

According to the initial entry of the report, the slain IEBC Kilifi manager was attacked by unknown people and succumbed to the injury as a certain cause of death.

The doctor told the high court that no further operation was done to the boy.   

Further hearing has been scheduled for 22nd October 2025.