How a knife-licking serial killer was arrested after a series of gruesome revenge murders
Emily Wambui, Margaret Akello and Samuel Mboya in Mukuru-Kayaba slum, Starehe sub-county. (Inset) Murdered Simon Baraka.
Detectives at Industrial Area Police Station have arrested a suspected serial killer for allegedly killing three people in Mukuru slums in South B Division, Starehe Sub-county.
Police said it was a revenge incident between two criminal gangs, one from Mukuru-Kayaba slum and the other from Mukuru-Shimo La Tewa slum.
Speaking on Sunday, July 14, Makadara Sub-County Police Commander, Ms Judith Nyongesa, said they in collaboration with Makadara District Criminal Investigation Officer (DCIO), Mr Martin Korongo, took immediate action following the incident.
Mr Korongo confirmed to Nation.Africa that he and Ms Nyongesa had to use a special unit called SPIV, which has tactics and skills, to confront the suspect after he went into hiding.
The SPIV unit is made up of police officers who are relieved of their normal duties to deal with complex crime cases.
He was flushed out by the undercover police at Mukukuni village, Mitaboni division in Kathiani sub-county, Machakos county at 4:00 am.
"We have arrested the suspect and he's currently in custody. Our investigations are ongoing to uncover information that could lead to the arrest of his gang members," Mr Korongo said.
Ms Nyongesa added that Kelvin Musyoka alias Tule, aged 18, was arrested after killing 22-year-old Mr Simon Baraka in Dallas area in Mukuru-Kayaba slum in broad daylight.
Ms Nyongesa said police reports showed that the suspect was involved in a series of killings of two other men.
"This suspect killed a man in Crescent area in Mukuru-Kayaba slum and another in Mukuru-Commercial slum in December last year. He used knives to attack all his targets on the left side of the chest," says Ms Nyongesa.
In the latest incident, the suspect, who attacked Mr Baraka with a knife, licked the bloody knife at Dallas Area, Kambi Moto in Mukuru- Kayaba slum before fleeing.
The victim was taken to Lengo Medical Clinic where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
"The patient was stabbed in the left chest. He was pronounced dead on arrival," Lengo Medical Clinic chief executive officer Dr Kennedy Kipchumba told Nation.Africa.
During the incident, Ms Nyongesa recalled that Mr Musyoka met Mr Baraka and his colleagues in the Dallas area. In the process of greeting each other, the suspect went to greet the deceased and that is where the trouble started.
"Baraka asked him why he and his colleagues and refused to greet him with what they call 'kugota'. He immediately punched him (the deceased) in the face and suddenly the suspect grabbed a knife from a trader who was making chapati at the scene and stabbed him in the chest before running away," Ms Nyongesa reiterated.
Angry youths in the Kayaba slum launched a manhunt as they searched for him in the area, but to no avail.
According to Ms Nyongesa, the suspect was implicated in two other murders in December last year. One victim was killed in Mukuru-Mariguni slum, while another was fatally stabbed in Crescent area of Mukuru-Kayaba slum following a dispute over a game of pool.
The police report also showed that last week, the suspect and his associates, who are in hiding, raided an M-Pesa kiosk and made away with a sum of money.
Ms Nyongesa said the gang leader in Mukuru-Shimo la Tewa and Mukuru-Fuata Nyayo was in hiding and would be arrested any time.
"Our intelligence is on the point of a breakthrough. We expect to arrest the gang leaders and their associates very soon," Ms Nyongesa said confidently.
She added that the motive for the crime, according to preliminary interrogations, was to take revenge on their colleagues following incidents of fighting over loot they stole from businesses and residents in South B, Industrial Area and Mukuru slums.
At Baraka's home on Mandazi Road in Mukuru-Kaiyaba slum, local Nyumba Kumi chairman James Amollo, known as Jessy, urged young people to respect the law.
He warned that the community's patience with crime and criminals was wearing thin.
The deceased's sister, Ms Emily Wambui, 31, said her family was planning to take her brother's body to Bungoma for burial.
"We have a financial challenge at this time as we mourn my brother and look for money to transport his body to our rural home in Bungoma County," the late Baraka's elder brother, Mr Samuel Mboya, told Nation.Africa.
