Crime
Police officers in Kapsabet town have launched an investigation into an incident where a 43-year-old Anglican priest was brutally murdered by a KDF officer Wednesday night over suspected infidelity.
According to Nandi County Police Commander Mr. Dickens Njogu, an anonymous caller informed police of the violence on Thursday at around 3.am. “We have very scanty information on the incident and DCI have taken over the investigation,” he said.
Preliminary investigations established that Rev. James Kemei of St Barnabas Church in Kapsabet had visited the woman who also attends the same church that night unaware that the husband had set a trap for him.
The military officer later arrived and found him in bed with his wife. “The angry officer murdered the clergyman by cutting off his genitals as the wife watched. He also inflicted severe injuries on his head and broke his ribs and legs. It was a very sad incident,” said Mark Kiptoo a neighbour.
According to neighbours, the officer had been alerted that the priest was spending nights in his home and that’s why he decided to sneak back and find out for himself. The officer waited for the two to go to bed and then emerged from hiding and started clobbering the priest.
Rev Kemei was rushed to Kapsabet level 5 hospital in critical condition and referred to Eldoret’s Top Hill Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The KDF officer who also injured his wife critically took off after the incident. His wife is receiving treatment at a private hospital.
The Police Commander called upon locals to desist from taking the law into their own hands adding that if one is aggrieved, he should report the matter to authorities rather than resort to violence.
“Let us all respect the sanctity of marriage and handle marital disputes through the legal channels,” he said adding that the suspect has since gone into hiding and police are pursuing him to face murder charges.