The 7-year pursuit of a Kitale-based pastor suspected of killing a 17-year-old girl pregnant with triplets (believed to have been sired by him) came to a dramatic end after he was finally apprehended during his wedding day in Mbale, Uganda.
Pastor Charles Nyachwara was accused of killing his Sunday school teacher, Scholastica Mmbihi, on July 7, 2011, but he soon disappeared after being released on bond.
A close relative, Zacharia Ogechi, who had placed his title deed as a surety took it upon himself to undertake the manhunt, as his parcel of land was on the line following Nyachwara's decision to skip his bail hearing.
Ogechi got wind that the pastor had been spotted in Mombasa but he proved to be a step ahead as he slipped into Tanzania just before the police net closed in on him.
"I visited several areas such as Mwanza, Panda and Silale looking for him but it proved to be a waste of energy as he had moved to Uganda," the desperate relative disclosed to the Standard.
It is while in Mbale district, Uganda, that Nyakwara reportedly settled down, changed his citizenship and opened up a brand new church.
Ogechi's relentless pursuit finally paid off and he soon got wind of the pastor's new identity as well as the fact that he was set to marry a Ugandan.
He shared all the information he had gathered with the police who then coordinated with their Ugandan counterparts, and both agreed that a surprise arrest during the scheduled wedding day would be the best course of action.
On the fateful Saturday morning, the armed police officers stormed the church just after proceedings had gotten underway, catching Nyachwara completely off-guard.
He was soon extradited back to Kenya and presented at the Kitale law courts on Friday, where Justice Chemitei charged and sentenced him to 25 years in prison for murder.
"I have heard the litigation by both the prosecution and defence. What is evident is the fact that the minor suffered cruel death in your hands," the justice stated during his ruling.
On his part, Nyachwara claimed that he killed Mmbihi because her father had refused to withdraw defilement charges laid against him and he had a reputation to maintain as a man of God.
