Osinde was killed in his house, a witness told the court

An investigative officer has told a Nakuru Court that former Treasury official Tom Osinde was killed inside his house before his body was transported to River Gucha.

Harrison Zombo, who is currently attached to the DCI headquarters, told Justice Julius Nangea that there was blood in Osinde's house, an indication that he was murdered before being dumped.

He was testifying against Julius Mugoi, who is charged with the murder of Osinde, whose decomposed body was recovered at River Kuja in Migori County on June 28, 2023.

The body was discovered a week after his vehicle was dumped at Kilgoris.

Mugoi allegedly killed Osinde, his boss, on the night of June 17 and 18, 2023, at his Ngata Farm in Rongai, Nakuru County.

The officer said that on June 23, 2023, at around 9 a.m., he went to Osinde's home after he was reported missing, while his black Toyota V8 was discovered at Kilgoris in Transmara Sub-County.

"Osinde was missing, and we were investigating his disappearance from home. We interviewed workers who recorded statements separately," he added.

He stated that the next day they confiscated the workers' phones, after which Mugoi and his co-worker Mugo Gathi were arrested.

During the initial investigation, he noted that they were able to establish that Osinde's body was dumped at River Gucha in Kisii County.

"We made the trip following the information on June 26, 2023, which we gathered from the accused when we interviewed him," he added.

While at the river, the officer said Mugoi declined to reveal where his home was, but they were able to get information from his area chief, who helped with the information.

"We collected a black polythene bag we suspected was used to cover the body of Osinde before throwing it into the river, after a confession," he added.

At Mugoi's home, the officer said they met his mother, Jane Nyambeki, in the house, where they found a vehicle jack bearing Osinde's registration number, two black speakers, and two small grey speakers.

"We learned that the accused didn't live in his mother's home. We were shown his father's home in Kisii, where he lived before he moved to Nakuru. Upon searching, we recovered several utensils stolen from Osinde's home," he said.

On July 1, 2023, at around 9 a.m., other officers and he went back to Osinde's home with DCI homicide experts.

The experts opined that Osinde was killed in the house he had occupied before the body was taken away for dumping.

There was blood on the furniture in the house.

He alleged that the utensils found in the home of the accused’s father resembled those the deceased had.

"We were confident that the deceased was killed in his house. We suspected the blood on the floor and items," he added.

Following the investigation, he said Gathi was turned into a state witness, while Mugoi was charged with the murder.

The hearing continues on January 27, 2026.