Murder
A middle-aged man has been charged in a Kakamega High Court with the murder of a Form Four student.
John Odinga appeared before Lady Justice Chirchir Chebet to answer to charges of allegedly killing Cynthia Akinyi, a Kibra Soccer Academy Student on October 4, 2021. The Court heard that the deceased was travelling from Nairobi to Kakamega for holidays when she met her death.
When leaving Nairobi for Kakamega, the court was told, Akinyi, was escorted by her aunt Caroline Wanga to the Country Bus terminus in Nairobi, paid her fare and gave David Wanga’s (her uncle) her number who was to pick her at Shianda market in Kakamega County on arrival.
Throughout the journey, the Aunt kept contact with her and along the way, she called her uncle Wanga and told her that Akinyi was approaching Butere. Wanga the uncle then travelled to Butere market ready to receive Akinyi but could not trace her prompting him to call her.
The deceased answered the call while crying and told her uncle that she was in Butere but not sure if she would arrive home. The uncle called once more but this time round Akinyi’s phone went unanswered.
Her Aunt Caroline tried to call her several times but there was no response after which she sent her a message which was replied “I am ok”. The court heard that Akinyi’s phone went off at around 2300hrs and there was no further communication.
The next day, which was October 5, 2021, the Uncle reported the matter to Mumias Police Station who referred the case to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations two days later. A witness who appeared in court testified that while trying to trace the deceased, she discovered a man on Cynthia’s Facebook page that gave them a lead to the ongoing investigations.
The DCI visited Shianda market and asked the bodaboda riders if they recognized the man appearing in Akinyi’s Facebook page. They identified him as John Odinga, a fellow bodaboda rider adding that he had carried a young lady on his motorcycle on the evening of 4th October.
The owner of the motorcycle who was identified as James Shikoli also testified before Justice Chebet. “I am the employer and owner of Odinga’s motorcycle, and he was the one with it on the night of 4th,” he said. The DCI then traced Odinga, arrested him and visited his home where they found items which were later confirmed to be Akinyi’s belongings.
Akinyi’s reccovered belongings included six kilograms’ sugar, two packets tea leaves, a mobile phone, sim cards and stationery. The suspect was escorted to Mumias Police station where he was booked in custody as a murder suspect while the search of the missing Cynthia continued.
Three days later, October 10, 2021, the body of the deceased was found dumped in River Lusumu which was retrieved and taken to Kakamega county mortuary where a postmortem was conducted by a pathologist. “I took the suspect to the Government Chemist in Kisumu for DNA test but it could not be linked because water is not a DNA preservative,” PC Mark Too said.
“I conclude that John Odinga was the offender because he was the last person seen with Cynthia, her belongings were found in his house and so he is the one who killed and dumped her body in River Lusumu,” he added.
The suspect is held at the Kakamega Maximum Prison since his arrest as the trial case proceeds. Lady Justice Chebet set October 16, 2024 as the next date for hearing of the case when the last witness, a government pathologist, is expected to testify in court.