How mobile communication could be used to burst MP Were's murder mystery

One of the suspects in the murder of Kasipul MP Charles Were fraudulently registered mobile phone numbers used to coordinate the mission, police have said.

Investigations show the suspects were in communication before, during and after the crime, and were near the crime scene where the MP was fatally shot on the evening of April 30.

The killer was on a motorcycle, got off, shot the MP, then sped away with another man on the bike. Detectives are now searching for the mobile phones, which are believed to have been acquired for the mission and later disposed of.

Some of the five suspects say they cannot remember where they disposed of the devices and have identified the person who acquired them.

The latest group of five suspects include Edwin Odhiambo and Dennis Manyasi, Lake Basin Authority board member Ebel Ochieng, popularly known as Dave Calo; the MP’s bodyguard Allan Omondi his driver Walter Awino.

The police said the murder was planned long before its execution during meetings inside and outside of Nairobi.

“Therefore, more investigations will be conducted in Nairobi, Homa Bay and other several counties, a process that will require more time,” police said.

The officers said Calo was a close neighbour of the MP at his rural home and had threatened Were.

“Similarly, the first respondent has been mentioned adversely by some suspects who are already in custody as the person behind the planning and execution of this crime,” according to court documents.

They said the account of events has been corroborated by mobile phone numbers believed to have been fraudulently registered by Calo, necessitating the time sought to enable investigators to interrogate further this line of enquiry.

The trajectory of investigations that started with the arrest of the four respondents and persons of concern already in lawful custody has eventually necessitated the arrests of the bodyguard and driver assigned to the deceased. Were was buried at his rural home on May 9.

The police raided Calo’s homes in Nairobi and Nakuru in their murder probe Investigators say they are pursuing leads that Calo and others not in custody had stormed a government office and threatened officials there following claims the MP had reported him to the same authority for alleged forgery.

“This, if true, could form part of the motive of the murder. And it means more suspects are out there,” one officer aware of the probe told the Star.

The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts on Friday allowed police to detain the five suspects for 20 days from May 9, to enable the extended probe into their alleged involvement in Were’s murder.

Magistrate Irene Gichobi dismissed an application filed by the five suspects seeking to challenge the court’s jurisdiction in the case.

The magistrate said the suspects are still under investigation and there is no legal basis preventing the court from handling the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ miscellaneous application.

The DCI was seeking to detain the five individuals for 30 days to allow for further investigations.

“The application by the respondents lacks merit and the same is dismissed,” Magistrate Gichohi ruled.

The suspects argued that the case should be transferred to either Milimani or Kibra law courts, claiming the alleged offence occurred within those jurisdictions.

However, the magistrate said the matter is still in the early investigative stage.

“This court is not trying the accused. It has only been called upon to issue custodial orders,” she said.

The police wanted to detain the suspects to analyse CCTV footage, retrieve phone records, interview key witnesses and conduct forensic tests.

The police say more time is needed to complete investigations and possibly lay murder charges.

A pistol used in the murder was recovered and confirmed to be the killer weapon. Ballistic tests show the weapon was used in three other robberies in Kayole, Nairobi County and Ndumberi in Kiambu County.

The detectives have also recovered two cars and two motorcycles that were used in the mission.

Also recovered was USD4,800, believed to have been proceeds of the crime.

One of the suspects in custody has confessed he was paid Sh850,000 for the mission.