Lake Basin Board official Ebel Ochieng detained for 23 days in probe into MP Were's murder
According to the investigating officer, it is believed the two were in communication with other suspects both before and after the fatal shooting, in what police are treating as a well-coordinated and premeditated crime.
Lake Basin Development Authority board member Ebel Ochieng, also known as Dave Colo, who is linked to the murder of Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were, has been detained for 23 days pending investigations.
This follows a ruling by JKIA Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi, who declined an application requesting her recusal from the miscellaneous application seeking to detain Ochieng and another suspect for 30 days.
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In her ruling on Tuesday, Magistrate Gichobi dismissed the recusal application, stating that it lacked merit. She proceeded to order the detention of Ochieng and his co-accused, Edwin Oduor, for 23 days while investigations continue.
In an affidavit, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), through Inspector Oliver Nabonwe, stated that all mobile phones and SIM cards recovered from the respondents would be subjected to forensic analysis.
According to the investigating officer, it is believed the two were in communication with other suspects both before and after the fatal shooting, in what police are treating as a well-coordinated and premeditated crime.
He added that there is a need to further analyse several hours of CCTV footage captured by the IC3 system and possibly other privately installed cameras along the route leading to the crime scene to better understand the circumstances surrounding the offence.
"Through mobile phone triangulation and interrogation of witnesses, persons of interest, and accomplices already in lawful custody, it has been established that the respondents were in constant communication immediately before, during, and after the crime, and were near the scenes through which the deceased's car passed. This necessitates further investigation," the court documents reveal.
He also noted that preliminary interviews with the suspects indicated they possess crucial information that could help unravel the murder and lead to additional arrests.
On Friday, a team of lawyers—Danstan Omari, Cliff Ombeta, and Sam Nyaberi—halted court proceedings by raising objections to Magistrate Gichobi handling the case against Ochieng and Oduor.
The two were arrested last Wednesday after police identified them as persons of interest in the murder of the Kasipul MP.
During submissions, the lawyers expressed dissatisfaction with the court, arguing that it was biased.
Omari stated that the case concerns the assassination of the late MP and noted that the same court had previously granted a 30-day detention order for other suspects in the matter.
"Your Honour, there cannot be two different rulings from the same court arising from the same set of facts and the same suspects," Omari argued.
He urged the magistrate to recuse herself, claiming the outcome regarding the number of detention days suggested pre-judgment.
"The first respondent (Ochieng) says he is not comfortable with this court handling the matter," he added.
Nyaberi further stated that the first respondent perceives the court to be biased and questioned whether it would remain impartial.
Ombeta added that it would be an act of courage and integrity for the magistrate to recuse herself and allow another judicial officer to handle the case.
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