Chilling Murders in Gem: Families mourn as police close in on suspected serial killer

In Siaya County’s Gem subcounty, a haunting wave of brutal killings is tearing through communities, leaving behind grieving families, unanswered questions, and growing fear.

 The victims — the majority of whom are female children, students and elderly women — are found murdered in chillingly similar circumstances, prompting fears of a serial killer with possible cult connections.

 One such grieving parent is Haron Okello from Midhine village, the father of 17-year-old Angel Mitchel.

 Angel, a Form 4 candidate at Sagam Secondary School, was brutally murdered on the night of May 26, 2025.

 “She had just finished preparing supper, and after eating, she went to sleep in a nearby house in the same homestead with her siblings and nieces,” Okello recounted.

 “She usually woke up early at 5 am to prepare breakfast before school, but that morning, she didn’t show up.”

 Okello says he asked Angel's brother to even look for her in the homestead’s toilet, but she was nowhere to be seen. They panicked and got scared.

 They were scared and immediately he went to report the matter to the village elder, and just when they were there, he received a call from Angel’s uncle that his daughter’s body had been found along the road.

 “We found her body by the roadside naked, stabbed several times and lying in a pool of blood.”

 Angel was pregnant at the time of her death.

 The family, devastated and seeking justice, has yet to receive any answers, even though police recovered her brother's phone, which she had taken that night.

 “They told us the data is being analysed by Safaricom. We are still waiting,” Okello said.

 Just a day after Angel’s murder, on May 27, another student, Emma Akinyi Onyango of Yala Township Mixed Secondary School, was killed in nearby Siluka village.

  In July, 15-year-old Elizabeth Otieno Ochieng, a student at Uranga Secondary School, met a similarly horrifying fate.

 Her dismembered body was discovered in Sagam cut into pieces with the head, arms and legs missing.

 Her grandmother, Margaret Anyango, could only identify her remains by her toenails.

 “She left to pick up school uniform for her younger cousin,” Anyango said.

 “They walked with a man they didn’t know, and later, her younger sister lost sight of her. The next day, her body was found mutilated. Her head and hands were retrieved from a pit latrine.”

 Police close in

 Gem subcounty police commander Charles Wafula said authorities are pursuing a dangerous suspect believed to be behind the gruesome killings.

 Wafula said they have narrowed down on one individual.

 “He’s very slippery, doesn't use a mobile phone and keeps changing clothes to avoid detection.”

 In one scene, Wafula said they recovered shoes and cap believed to belong to the suspect.

 He added, “In one search, we recovered a bag in the bush with blood-stained clothes, that we believe he changes every now and then,” Wafula said.

 Police say that CCTV footage from Yala shopping centre helped them identify the suspect.

 “After Veronica Odongo was killed on July 15, we reviewed the footage and interrogated a girl who had been with her earlier. That gave us crucial leads,” he added.

 Veronica, a 46-year-old businesswoman, was ambushed while heading home from the market.

 Her phone was picked by the suspect, who then misled the family about her whereabouts.

 Sniffer dogs later traced bloodstains and belongings to the banks of River Yala, but her body was not immediately recovered.

 Similarly, Pamela Ochieng, 50, was found dead along a roadside in Lihanda East Gem after attending a funeral. Her body was discovered naked and stabbed.

 Most recently, the body of a 20-year-old man, Amos Oduor, was discovered dumped at Kanyabola junction near Kodiaga Market, marking yet another mysterious and tragic loss in the community.

 Civil society raises alarm

 Chris Owala, a civil society leader, blames laxity by law enforcement for the escalating crisis.

 “There has been a clear pattern of delayed and incomplete investigations. Families are crying for justice. It’s time the police took firm and urgent action,” he said.

 Owala criticised the slow pace of investigations, saying it leaves families feeling abandoned and vulnerable.

 “We urge the government to fast-track these cases and restore public confidence. This can no longer be treated as routine crime it is systematic and terrorising.”

 Political leaders respond

 Gem MP Elisha Odhiambo has called for calm, but also emphasised that action is urgently needed.

 “The police have identified the suspected serial killer, and we hope he will be arrested within the next three days,” he said.

 Gem politician Abala Wanga described the spate of killings as a “worrying trend” that threatens to redefine Gem from a region known for academic excellence to a place of bloodshed and terror.

 “The right to life is sacred protected by our constitution and by moral law. We demand justice for all victims Angel Mitchel, Emma Akinyi, Elizabeth Atieno, Veronica Odongo, Pamela Aduol and Amos Oduor. We cannot allow Gem to become a slaughterhouse,” he said.

 Wanga who is the Kisumu city manager along with other community leaders, has called for the police to enhance police patrols and visible presence in all affected villages.

 He called for the revitalisation of the Nyumba Kumi initiative to improve local intelligence gathering.

 “We want swift arrest and prosecution of all suspects.”

 As investigations continue, the people of Gem are living in fear, children escorted to school, businesses closing early and neighbourhoods whispering about the deaths.

 For now, the families wait not just for arrests, but for justice, dignity and a return to peace.