Murder of aspirants children blamed on family feud

The killing of a politician’s three children in Eldoret may have been linked to a family land dispute, preliminary investigation by police show.

It emerged Saturday that the family of Mr James Nyambane, an MCA aspirant in Kapsoya, had been embroiled in row over the sale of a piece of land in Kisii, and that could have led to the killings that shocked the country.

Mr Nyambane’s children were tortured before they thrown into River Nzoia. Their bodies were recovered on Friday.

Clifford Nyambane (6), Taniy Nyamweya (5) and Glen Ongaki (3) were last seen alive in the company of their uncle.

The uncle, who is the main suspect, had allegedly threatened their mother, Ebby Isaji, through a text message a few days before the disappearance of the minors.

Eldoret detectives said the suspect, Enock Onsanse, who is in police custody after being charged with abduction last week, will face murder charges next week. He was the last person to be seen with the minors as they headed for church.

SMS threats

“Umepewa muda mdogo sana urudishe mali yetu. Wanawake kutoka nje hawatumii hata tone ya mali yetu na usichukulie ni maneno tu (You have little time to return our property, women from outside can never benefit from our wealth and these are not mere threats,” Isaji paraphrased the message she alleges she received from Onsanse.

Detectives said so far, there was no political angle to the killings. Taniy and Glen had their throats slits while Clifford had a deep cut on the head, an indication the children underwent a harrowing ordeal in the hands of their tormentors.

“Two of the children had their throats slit while the third suffered a deep cut on the head. The area chief contacted us after seeing the report of missing children in the press on Thursday. He asked us to go to Moi’s Bridge and we knew things were not okay when he told us to buy a torch and rope and accompany him to the river a few kilometres from the centre,” said Emmanuel Wafula, a family friend.

Eldoret East OCPD Adamson Furaha said Onsanse had been transferred to an undisclosed station after he was classified as a dangerous suspect. “We had one more witness record a statement on Friday which will be very useful in building up the case. We will have to amend the charges from abduction to murder,” said Furaha.

Some of the minors body parts including eyes had started decomposing, according to relatives who identified the bodies. Nyambane said there were differences between his wife and his brother but added it was ‘nothing big’.

“There was a time we had employed a female domestic help whom my brother befriended and impregnated. At some point he took her as a wife, unfortunately they fell out and he thought my wife had played a part in their disagreement,” he said. Other sources claimed Nyambane had sold a parcel of land against the wishes of some family members.

Ancestoral land

Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet said investigations had pointed out to family feud over sale of ancestral land in Kisii. “It is understood that the Kapsoya aspirant sold some land in Kisii for campaigns purposes hence the provocation from his siblings. We are holding a suspect to that effect,” he said. But speaking to the Sunday Standard, Nyambane denied the claims. He said the only parcel he sold was an eighth of an acre in Munyaka Silas area in Eldoret five years ago at a cost of Sh600,000. “That is the only parcel I sold together with my father. We did the transaction together and used the money to relocate. Onsanse was still in school then and we never differed over the transaction. Our parents have been in the US for the last three years,” said the children’s father.

Relatives described the suspect as an introvert who would even fail to greet family members. “I had no personal differences with him and would talk to him when necessary because he rarely sustained a conversation,” said Nyambane. Leaders led by Opposition chief Raila Odinga called on the Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet to personally follow up the matter.

Raila, who condemned the incident, said he hoped the murder of the three children was not politically motivated.

“For the sake of the children of Kenya, the Inspector General of Police must take up the matter personally and keep the people of Kenya updated on the progress until the culprit is apprehended and justice is done. Kenyans must join hands in demanding justice for these three children,” he said.

He said no child should pay for the crimes, real or imagined, of their parents. “We labour in vain if politics only leads to the murder of the very children we are hoping to make the country a better place for,” the NASA flag bearer added. Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi and his Nandi Hills counterpart Alfred Keter, who visited the home, called for speedy investigations into the issue.

“Relevant authorities must unravel the mystery killers and prosecute them as the only relief to the parents that have suffered an irreversible loss. We give them until Monday to give a detailed report now that they have the key suspect or we will use the National Assembly to ensure justice is delivered,” said Keter.

A statement recorded at Eldoret East Police Station by a witness who saw the suspect with the children said he bumped on them at Mosop Stage adjacent to Sirikwa Hotel in Eldoret town on the fateful Saturday morning.

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