A Nairobi court has allowed police to detain two more suspects allegedly found with mobile phones belonging to a victim in the gruesome killings in Kware dumpsite.
Makadara Magistrate Irene Gicobi agreed with the police application to remand the two by granting them 28 days to complete their investigations.
The investigating team had asked for 30 days to remand Amos Momanyi and Moses Odhiambo.
"I have considered both the prosecution and the defence submissions and grant the police 28 days to detain the suspects at Muthaiga police station pending investigations," the magistrate ruled.
In a miscellaneous application before the court, the prosecution had told the court that they are investigating several cases of murder where one Rose Atieno and 41 others are believed to have been murdered by a suspect namely Collins Khalusa on dates between June 22 and July 11, 2024 at Kware area.
The police said that there have been cases of missing persons that were reported at Kware police station and other several police stations within Nairobi County.
The police took over the investigations on July 11 from Embakasi DCI.
"The investigating team have managed to retrieve bodies mostly female which are severely dismemberment and others in a state of decomposition from a dump site within Sinai quarry," the court heard.
"The bodies were taken to the mortuary for preservation pending identification and postmortem to ascertain the cause of death."
During investigations, the investigating officer said they have had several families who have come forward to identify the recovered bodies and two bodies have been confirmed.
The court heard that on July 16, the main suspect was presented in court and investigating officers were granted 30 days to complete their investigations.
The officer stated that upon interrogating Khalusa, he indicated to the investigating team that Amos Momanyi and Moses Odhiambo were his accomplices.
The two were arrested on Tuesday following a multi-agency within the Pipeline area and were placed at Muthaiga police station.
The officer said, that upon the arrest of the suspects, the officers conducted a quick search on the suspects' homes and managed to recover 154 assorted mobile phones, 27 sim cards, and one identity card among others which are crucial to the ongoing investigations.
On further interrogating Momanyi, he was found in possession of a mobile phone make Samsung and two SIM cards which investigations confirmed that it belonged to Roselyn Akoth who was one of the victims of the killings.
Additionally, the court heard that Momanyi could not satisfactorily explain to the investigating team how he got in possession of the mobile phone.
"There are ongoing Investigations in terms of documenting the crime scene, dump site, the house belonging to Collins and business premises of the second respondent (Odhiambo) by forensic experts," the prosecution said.
They added that the 27 assorted sim cards obtained from the suspects are not registered under their names a fact that makes the investigating team fear that if they are released before the conclusion of the investigations, they will continue committing the offences making it difficult to track them.
The court heard that the suspects also live in rented houses and cannot be termed as a fixed place of abode. They are high flight risk.
So far, the investigations have pointed out a prima facie link between the suspects and the prime suspect Khalusa and the victims of the murder.
After the completion of the investigations, the investigating team will recommend murder charges against the suspects and any other person who will be found culpable.
The court heard that due to the nature of the offences being investigated have a high likelihood to continue with their criminal behaviours as others are not before the court and yet to be arrested.
The officer said the matter before the court is of high interest and, there is anger in the society, they might be in danger.
"We need DNA sampling, taking fingerprints. Identification parade and statement recording from the suspects. They also need to be escorted for mental assessment," the police said.
"We have inadequate time to complete the suspects and we need 30 days to have the suspects detained at Muthaiga police station or any police station where they will be safe. We pray that you deny the suspects bail or bond to the suspects."
The case will be mentioned on August 16.
