Kakamega police arrest key suspects in businessman's murder

Police in Kakamega have arrested two suspects in connection with the cold-blooded murder of a Lugari businessman who went missing on October 7 and whose decomposing body was recovered from a stream a week later.

Lugari Sub-County Police Commander Bernard Ngungu confirmed that the two were the prime suspects who were last seen with the deceased before he went missing.

Brian Mulama, 34, a businessman at Lumakanda Shopping Centre, was last seen on October 7 before he received a phone call from a friend identified as Newton Mwange asking him to accompany him to Kilimani.

His uncle, Mr Francis Lung'aho, said the deceased had earned some money from his business and was planning to buy a Canter truck before he went missing.

"We believe his assailants, who were his close friends, targeted the money because he had withdrawn a huge amount of money before they called and took him away," Mr Lung'aho said.

Mr Ngungu said police had followed crucial leads before zeroing in on the suspects, who have since confessed to killing the victim.

However, the identities of the suspects have been kept under wraps pending investigations into the recovery of lost property robbed from the deceased.

The two were arrested at a construction site in Kilimani area, the same place where they are suspected to have committed the heinous murder after luring the deceased from Lumakanda, about 7km away.

"We launched serious investigations into the macabre killing of the businessman as soon as we received reports of his disappearance and the people we have in custody are the prime suspects who were seen on CCTV with the deceased at Saff petrol station where they were refuelling their motorcycle. One of them had covered his face to hide his identity, but officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations have identified him," said Mr Ngungu.

The family of the deceased had earlier accused some police officers at Majengo police station of being behind the killing of their kin.

They called for the arrest and prosecution of two police officers who they said lured their relative into a trap, abducted him and tortured him to death before making off with his belongings, including an unknown amount of money, his clothes and motorcycle.

"We suspect that Mwange was used by the police officers to lure our son into their trap. After meeting Mwange, he was never seen again until we discovered his decomposing body in the river," said Mr Lung'aho.

Following the bussinessman's disappearance and horrific murder, angry villagers stormed Mr Mwange's home and set fire to houses in the area.

According to Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera, a policeman from Majengo joined Mwange, the friend who had called Mulama on the phone, while they were refuelling their motorcycle at the Saff petrol station.

"The third person covered his face with a mask and a balaclava. People who saw them identified the third person as a police officer from Majengo. We want the police in Lugari to follow the CCTV link at Saf Petrol station to identify the third person and arrest him," said Mr Nabwera.

He called for the removal of the Majengo police post, saying it was harbouring rogue police officers.

"We give the Lugari sub-county police commander seven days to identify the third man who joined Mulama and his rider while hiding his identity. We are also demanding the removal of the Majengo police post because instead of providing security to our people, the officers there have turned into killers," said Mr Nabwera.

But Mr Ngungu urged politicians to stop interfering in investigations by making influential statements that could turn the public against the police.

"Let the political leaders learn to work with the police. As leaders, we need to share information before making public statements. If the MP had consulted us to know what we were doing, he wouldn't have said what he said in a public meeting. Investigation issues don't need public criticism - it can mislead the course of the investigation," he added.

The suspects will be charged with murder on Monday, Mr Ngungu said.

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