Phone call helped trace Okumu

The suspected Kisumu serial killer will live to regret the simple phone call he made to a friend

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By NATION REPORTER and NATION CORRESPONDENT

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The suspected Kisumu serial killer will live to regret the simple phone call he made to a friend asking for money.

That phone call and an M-Pesa transfer to the phone of his friend led the police to his hideout in Mombasa where he was holed in after he fled from irate Miguye villagers and the police.

According to Kisumu CID boss Henry Ndombi, the suspect called a politician he campaigned for during the March 2013 elections. He lied to the politician that he was in Garissa and needed some money.

He had also told his parents that he was in Busia. According to the parents, he was not calling using his usual phone number. He would use different phone numbers every time to assure them that he was working and would return home as soon as he is done.

“After the discovery of the mass grave from his compound, the public were assisting police to track him and at one time they almost got hold of him but he managed to escape,” narrated Mr Ndombi.

The suspect then went under-ground and police combed Kisumu town thinking he was still holed up there.

“We came to learn later that he was requesting for assistance. The person passed the information to us and we advised him to send some cash to the number he had used to call so that we know where he was calling from,” said Mr Ndombi.

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CASH TRANSFER

The politician friend then sent Sh1,000 to the number which was received instantly, revealing the name of the recipient. It emerged that he was using a friend’s phone to call the politician. Police, assisted by a mobile phone company, traced him to his location.

“We traced the phone to Mombasa and relayed the same information to our counterparts in the region who swiftly swung into action,” said Mr Ndombi.
On August 7, he was arrested at Bondeni area in Mombasa as he waited to board a bus to North Eastern.

“I confirmed his arrest before relaying the information to my seniors and then the county commander criminal investigation boss in Mombasa also communicated the same. The police operation was very efficient,” said Mr Ndombi.

The suspect was then arraigned in Mombasa law courts as required by law that prohibits keeping a suspect in police custody for more than 24 hours before appearing in court. Mombasa police then transferred him to Nairobi from where their Kisumu counterparts took over.

Mr Ndombi also said the evidence the police have has also been boosted by statements by the public, including the suspect’s parents.

“We are just trying to piece together the evidence together with our legal advisers at the office of the Director of Public Prosecution,” said Mr Ndombi.