Crime, cover-up, and cash withdrawals: Court hears how Ayieko was hunted and killed

Former Wells Fargo Human Resource director Willis Ayieko (R). Victor Ochieng, alias Sisco, Duncun Ochieng Obongo (Centre) and Fredrick Otieno Omondi in court for the murder of Willis Ayieko. (Photo: Courtesy, File/Standard)

For two consecutive days, November 17 and November 18, 2025, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) presented ten witnesses before Siaya High Court Judge David Kemei.

The two-day hearings marked a major step in unravelling the complex circumstances surrounding Wells Fargo human resources manager Willis Ayieko’s murder.

Among the first witnesses was the first accused Victor Ouma Okoth alias Sisco’s sister, who gave a detailed account of her brother’s troubling behaviour shortly before the murder.

She told the court that although Sisco had been admitted to Egerton University to study medicine, he began acting suspiciously, including asking her to register for him a mobile number using her national identity card.

Her father also testified, offering further insight into concerns about the family’s brushes with crime. The old man recounted the disturbing conduct of his elder son, brother to Sisco, whom police say was fatally shot in Kisumu during a confrontation with officers pursuing suspects linked to Ayieko’s killing.

He narrated a chilling incident in which the elder son returned home carrying an AK-47 rifle, claiming he intended to kill a neighbour he believed had tipped off police about his suspected criminal activities.

The father said he tried to intervene but was left fearful and confused about his son’s increasingly erratic behaviour.

A significant portion of the hearings focused on forensic evidence. Chief Inspector Francis Kieti, a DCI forensic analyst, presented a detailed reconstruction of the crime scene.

Using photographic exhibits, he walked the court through the discovery of Ayieko’s body, the scene’s condition, and the steps followed during the postmortem.

Kieti submitted a comprehensive forensic report covering the scene of the crime, the alleged drinking joint where the suspects met before proceeding to Nyamninia village in Gem constituency, where they would kidnap Ayieko.

The forensic expert displayed drag marks, the body’s positioning, and other crucial leads that support the prosecution’s case.

Anthony Mureithi M’nkwa, an Mpesa attendant in Kisumu town, testified that Sisco used Ayieko’s ID to withdraw money from the deceased’s mobile account on October 19th and 20th, 2024.

He presented CCTV footage and still photographs showing Sisco withdrawing Sh45,000, Sh30,000, and Sh70,000 from his shop.

Another agent, Shadrack Gitonga of Taita Shop, Kisumu, corroborated the testimony. He also produced CCTV footage showing the first accused withdrawing money from Ayieko’s mobile money account using the deceased’s identification card.

Kisa West Location Chief testified that he first received a report of a missing man, only to later learn that a body had been spotted in a nearby stream.

When he arrived, police had already secured the scene, and Ayieko’s body was facing down and partially submerged.

Wagai Police Station Commander Chief Inspector Kanano Elema told the court he acted on a tip-off about two suspicious individuals in a Toyota Axio car. Officers intercepted the vehicle and recovered a pistol and 11 rounds of ammunition. Forensic analysis later confirmed the weapon belonged to Ayieko.

The late Ayieko’s driver, Julius Mbuthya Nthiwa, testified that on the fateful day, he was handed the car keys in Nairobi and instructed to drive to Kisumu Airport.

Nthiwa arrived at 12:30 pm, handed over the vehicle to a tour company at the Kisumu airport as instructed by Ayieko, and travelled back to Nairobi. He never heard from Ayieko again.

On October 21, 2024, he got a call from Ayieko’s wife inquiring about her husband’s whereabouts. He later learned through the media that he had been murdered.