• A police report indicated that a recovered cartridge was fired from the Glock pistol issued to Barasa.
• The court also ordered him to stay away from Bungoma county.
Image: COURTESY
Kimilili MP-elect Didmus Barasa on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to the murder of Brian Olunga.
Olunga was an aide to his opponent and DAP-K’s Brian Khaemba.
Barasa was granted Sh10 million bond and a surety of Sh5 million.
The court also ordered him to surrender his guns and stay away from Bungoma county.
He appeared before Kakamega judge Paul John Otieno.
An autopsy done last week revealed that Olunga died of a bullet which struck the right side of his head.
Olunga died of profuse bleeding when the bullet got stuck in his head.
Barasa has been in custody since he surrendered. The court had allowed police to hold him for 10 days to allow investigations.
Forensic Crime Scene Investigations unit detectives have since conducted investigations, placing Barasa at the scene of the murder.
Similarly, ballistics experts based at the DCI National Forensic Laboratory, linked Barasa’s firearm to the fatal shooting of Olunga.
This followed a report issued by ballistics experts after the investigating team forwarded Barasa’s Glock Pistol, a cartridge retrieved from the scene and bullet fragments to the ballistic lab for forensic analysis.
A police report indicated that a recovered cartridge was fired from the Glock pistol issued to Barasa.
Barasa is now facing murder charges.
Police said preliminary findings had shown the incident happened when an altercation broke out between the two, prompting Khaemba to leave and head to his car.
“Barasa followed him in the company of four men and ordered them not to allow him [Khaemba] to leave the place but Khaemba's driver Joshua Nasokho defied the order and ignited the vehicle,” police said.
It was then that Barasa drew a pistol and aimed it at Khaemba's aide Olunga and shot him in the forehead.
He was pronounced dead on arrival at Kimilili Subcounty Hospital.
It has emerged the two had an altercation a day before the shooting happened.
A backup team was sent to the area to look for the MP before he surrendered. The MP is a licensed gun holder.
Police had earlier withdrawn the weapon but the MP went to court and obtained an order reinstating the weapon he is believed to have used in the incident.
Police have searched his property for more evidence after they obtained a warrant.