A section of residents from Mukhweya village in Bungoma County are now claiming that they had spotted the self-confessed killer Masten Wanjala a week before his disappearance was made public by officers from the Jogoo Road Police Station.
Speaking to journalists, the residents revealed that Masten had visited his maternal grandmother last week and was even offered a plate of food.
So shocked was Masten's grandmother that the deceased bribed her with Ksh800 before he fled.
"The family told us that the deceased was spotted at the grandmother's home last week and was even served food," a resident stated.
Locals believe that police officers covered up his disappearance for a whole week to avoid embarrassment.
One of the residents further revealed that he first spotted Masten while coming from a night vigil in the neighbourhood, arguing that some of his peers did not trust him at first.
"I was coming from a night vigil, I told them that I had seen Masten, but they did not trust me. So I told them to wait for a few hours or days and he would be vindicated," he stated while speaking in Swahili.
The residents argue that police were also buying time to try and track him down and only made the announcement upon realising that his arraignment date was close and they had no excuse.
Masten would be spotted by a boda boda rider on Friday, October 15, walking majestically on the streets before he alerted others who were in the market.
When his name was called out, he took to the heels and hid inside a woman's house before he was flushed out by the irate youth who lynched him.
Before his death, Wanjala is believed to have confessed to the killing of the children but did not have time to express himself more.
"He was shaking and was pleading to be heard out but the masses were too angry," another residence stated.
Wanjala was set to be arraigned at the Makadara Law Court on Wednesday, October 13, to answer to 13 counts of murder charges.
A day before, however, the suspect beat the station’s security and vanished into the thin air.
Three police officers who were arrested for allegedly assisting Wanjala escape were released on a Ksh100,000 cash bail on Friday morning.
Magistrate Jane Kamau ordered the three officers to report to the investigating officer daily for the next seven days at 9.30am.
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