A court in Eldoret has allowed police to detain five suspects as part of a probe into the murder of LGBTQ activist Edwin Kiprotich Kiptoo alias Chiloba.
Senior Principal Magistrate Richard Odenyo granted the police some 21 days to hold the suspects in order to facilitate the completion of investigations.
The five include Jackton Odhiambo who is the prime suspect alongside three minors.
Eldoret South DCI boss Stephen Mumba had made an application requesting the court to allow the police to detain the suspects to enable them to conclude the probe.
"We need 21 days to complete investigations because a postmortem exercise is yet to be done," Mumba said.
He said the vehicle- which was used to ferry and dump the body- and the house where he lived had to be subjected to forensic examination.
He added that he sought to retrieve CCTV footage of the place where Chiloba and Odhiambo were prior to his death.
Mumba further noted that the handset used by the deceased was yet to be recovered.
"There are other suspects who are yet to be arrested. We fear a compromise in investigations. The suspects are a flight risk. They may be harmed if released on bail," Mumba said.
Odhiambo had sought to be released on bail, claiming that his family will not survive if he remains in custody.
"I request to be released on bond so that I can continue with my work to support my family," he said.
The case will be mentioned on January 31, 2023.
