The suspect who had been arrested by police over the murder of Busia Tycoon Alfred Obayo has escaped from a police jail.
According to Busia Deputy County Commissioner Kipchumba Ruto, the suspect escaped while going to fetch water.
The police tried stopping him from escaping, even firing gunshots at him but the suspect was able to escape by jumping over a perimeter fence of the police station.
The suspect was expected to be arraigned in Busia Law court today, Tuesday, August 7, when he escaped.
The Deputy County Commissioner has urged the residents to be alert of the suspect who is at large and report to either the police or chief if he is spotted.
The suspect had been arrested following the killing of the owner of the Texas Annex hotel establishment on February 22.
According to the local police, the hotel owner was killed by unidentified men who accessed his establishment by posing as customers.
Obayo was reported to have been seated at the balcony of his hotel when one of the two men drew a gun and shot him at close range and escaped.
In a statement, Busia Governor Sospeter Ojammong condemned the incident describing the victim as one of the businesspeople that had contributed to the progression of the hotel industry in the county.
He also urged the police to speed up their investigations on the incident and bring perpetrators to book stating that the era of “business rivalry” should not be tolerated in the country.
The county boss also called for collaborative measures to ensure that CCTV cameras were placed in all major public buildings across the county to collect vital evidence.
This comes as there have been cases of businessmen being killed by gangs in the county. In October 2020, a Busia businessman was attacked by an armed gang that raided his home in Siaya.
