High Court orders arrest of murder suspect who escaped from prison

A second warrant of arrest has been issued against a murder suspect.

Nakuru High Court Judge Justice Joel Ngugi ordered the arrest of Anderson Kipng’etich, after he failed to appear in court for the second time in two months.

Kipng’etich is charged with killing 16-year-old boy Roy Kimutai at Ambusket Village in Kuresoi South Sub-County on December 17, 2016, while in the company of others.

Police reports stated the boy first encountered Kipng’etich while at home.

“The deceased was looking after the cattle and preparing their feed when the mother saw a person dressed in black in the compound with his son,” read the report.

The mother is said to have assumed that the accused were friends with his son and continued working at her farm.

After she finished she went home to look for her son, but upon calling and asking for him, Kimutai was nowhere to be seen, read the report.

“In the evening, the worried mother received a call from her son’s cellphone, but the voice was strange. The man who claimed responsibility for the son’s kidnap demanded Sh 300,000 for his release,” read the report.

The speaker stated that the son was taken to Mombasa. The man gave an ultimatum of 10 hours for the money to be availed or he kills the boy.

The mother reported the matter to Olenguruone Police Station, saying the same man threatened to abduct her daughter.

The mobile numbers were tracked and the alleged culprit was arrested and taken into custody.

The boy's body was recovered next to Ambusket River two days after the arrest. His throat was slit and eyes gouged out.

Kipng’etich appeared in court, denied the charges and was released on Sh 300,000 bond.

After his release, he failed to appear during the case mention and landed his surety in trouble.

“Warrant of arrest issued on the accused person and his surety Reuben Kipkurui,” ruled Judge Ngugi in September.

He was on October 2 arrested, presented in court and his bond cancelled. The court directed that he be remanded at the Nakuru GK Prisons as the trial proceeds.

Two days later the accused escaped from prison.

Japheth Onchiri, the officer in charge of the prison, confirmed that the prison had one man short and that the accused had escaped under unclear circumstances.

He is yet to be found.

The case will be mentioned next year for confirmation of the arrest.