Man arrested in murder of senior police officer after three years

A suspect arrested over the killing of Inspector Prosper Ojiambo Wandera, who was serving as Deputy Officer Commanding Rumuruti Police Station on February 16, 2024. [File]

A nearly three-year manhunt for a suspect linked to the gruesome murder of a senior police officer in Laikipia County has ended following his arrest by homicide detectives in a coordinated security operation.

Onesmas Kipkoech Tiony was arrested on Saturday, November 14, 2026, over the killing of Inspector Prosper Ojiambo Wandera, who was serving as Deputy Officer Commanding Rumuruti Police Station when he was murdered on February 16, 2024.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the arrest followed painstaking investigations involving Homicide detectives, DCI Laikipia West and officers from Rumuruti Police Station.

The suspect had reportedly gone into hiding shortly after the incident, evading arrest as investigators pursued various leads to establish his whereabouts and bring him before the law.

In a statement, the DCI said detectives eventually traced the suspect to his hideout, where they conducted a coordinated operation that brought his prolonged flight from justice to an end.

“Yesterday, 14 November 2026, the painstaking investigations paid off. In a coordinated operation involving Homicide detectives, DCI Laikipia West and officers from Rumuruti Police Station, the suspect’s hideout was raided, bringing his prolonged flight from justice to an end,” the agency stated.

During the operation, detectives also recovered a motorcycle believed to have been used by the suspect to escape from the scene following the officer's murder.

The motorcycle has since been secured as an exhibit as investigators continue assembling evidence ahead of the suspect's prosecution.

Inspector Wandera was found lying in a pool of blood in the Maundu Meri area of Rumuruti Town, Laikipia County, on February 16, 2024.

The officer had sustained a deep stab wound on the left side of his chest, in an incident that shocked the local security community and triggered investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death.

At the time of his killing, Wandera was serving as Deputy Officer Commanding Rumuruti Police Station, a position that placed him among the senior officers responsible for overseeing policing operations in the area.

Following the murder, the suspect reportedly fled, forcing detectives to embark on a prolonged search that involved intelligence gathering, forensic analysis and examination of investigative leads.

Despite the passage of time, investigators maintained the pursuit, gradually narrowing down the search until they established the suspect's whereabouts.

The DCI said detectives remained committed to the case despite the challenges associated with tracing a suspect who had gone underground.

“While the suspect fled the scene and went into hiding, detectives never abandoned the trail. Working painstakingly through investigative leads and forensic analysis, Homicide detectives eventually narrowed the search, turning the years-long pursuit into a decisive manhunt,” the agency added.