The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) unveiled more details about the murder of Wells Fargo Human Resources Manager Willis Ayieko.
In an update on Sunday, October 3, the DCI revealed that they had uncovered the real identity of the suspect, initially identified as George Oduor Okoth, who was fatally gunned down on Thursday, October 31, after a police ambush.
Following his death, the police recovered two firearms from him, one belonging to the victim Willis Ayieko.
An identification of the body by the suspect’s father at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital morgue confirmed that his name was not George Oduor Okoth but Robert Wakolo Okoth.
It was also discovered that the suspect was wanted for several violent robbery cases in the region and he used various aliases including George Oduor Okoth and Kim depending on who asked to mask his identity and hide his transgressions from police officers.
A national identification card retrieved from a police exhibit store for wanted criminals that had earlier been seized during a security operation as well as a report obtained from the National Registration Bureau (NRB) bolstered the father’s claims.
Detectives drawn from the directorate were able to link the 34-year-old suspect to a string of violent robberies that had gone unsolved with the help of the information obtained.
Okoth, who hails from the Rai area of Nyamasaria in Kisumu County, was ultimately linked to another fatal shooting of a mobile money attendant at Kibuye market near Hekima School in Lolwe earlier this year on January 27.
Following the murder, one suspect was arrested and an AK47 stolen from a Ugandan police officer was recovered alongside a Toyota Axio that had been used by the robbers. Okoth, however, evaded the police and only his accomplice was arrested.
In another notable incident, officers drawn from the intelligence unit raided his home on May 3 and recovered another AK 47 rifle, a magazine, and 36 live rounds of ammunition. Once again, Okoth got away leaving behind his 17-year-old brother and suspected accomplice to get charged with the crime. He was also wanted by the Kondele police officers for robbery with violence and possessing a magazine and ammunition.
On Wednesday last week, Okoth once again evaded the police when he was cornered Wagai Trading Centre alongside a female passenger. During the hot pursuit that involved heavy gunfire exchange, the vehicle Okoth was driving rolled into a ditch and left the female passenger fatally injured.
While addressing mourners during burial preparations for their slain kin on Saturday, Ayieko’s family lauded the Siaya County Governor James Orengo and Alego Usonga Member of Parliament Samuel Atandi for their efforts in pushing for justice.
“The government is good just because of two great men, my friend Governor James Orengo, who came to Nairobi for two days insisting to know who killed Willis. Honourable Atandi was also with him, these two men were also in the mortuary, sitting there the whole day,” Ayiekos's brother said.
Ayieko’s body was discovered on October 23 after missing for five days. He had been last seen attending a funeral vigil in Gem Sub-County, Siaya County on October 18.
