Police arrest suspect who chopped off girl's head

Police have arrested a man who is suspected of beheading a girl. [istockphoto]

Police have arrested a man who is suspected of beheading a girl on Wednesday morning.

The man is accused of killing Rachel Chepkwony, a Form Three student at Seretunin Day School on Wednesday at Kaptalam village, within Ewalel location. The area Chief Patrick Kiprop told The Saturday Standard that the suspect was arrested on Thursday around 7pm at Sogon village in Baringo Central while asking for directions back home.

"I received a call from Sogon assistant chief claiming that a lost person from my location was seeking direction, but looked suspicious, I was able to ask him for a photo because the suspect had refused to give his name, and I confirmed that he was the assailant," the chief said.

After confirming the photo, the suspect was arrested, he was in possession of a machete believed to have been used to commit the offense and had two tortoises with him. The man told police that he was targeting the victim's mother and that her daughter was just a victim of circumstance. Directorate of Criminal and Investigations Baringo Central officer Joseph Chege said the suspect was in their custody awaiting to be arraigned.

Meanwhile, one person died on the spot and seven were seriously injured in a road accident near Kaitui Bridge along the Kericho-Kisumu highway. Soin/Sigowet Officer Commanding Police Division James Mutua said the driver of a Probox was trying to overtake a tractor carrying sugarcane when he collided with a matatu on Thursday night.

The ill-fated Probox vehicle was being driven towards Kipsitet while the matatu was heading to Kericho town.

"The driver of the Probox vehicle was ferrying passengers to Kipsitet. As he attempted to overtake the tractor carrying sugarcane to the factory, he rammed into the oncoming matatu," said Mutua.