Key Witness And Brother To Slain City Businessman Kevin Omwenga Murdered

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 25- The brother to the slain city businessman Kevin Omwenga is dead.

Police say Wycliffe Omwenga was killed right inside his Riruta home in Nairobi. He was the key witness in the ongoing murder case of his brother Kevin.

The 28 year-old Kevin, said to have been a car dealer in Nairobi, was killed last year in what police said was a deal gone sour. He was shot inside his Kilimani apartment on August 21, 2020.

Police had identified his brother Wycliffe, now deceased, as a key witness in the ongoing murder case against businessman and a gold dealer Chris Obure and his bodyguard Robert Bodo.

The two were arrested and charged in court with the murder of Kevin. They were later released on cash bail in September 21, 2020.

Kevin is said to have been killed over a fake gold deal he was to seal in Dubai.

-What we know about Wycliffe’s death-

It is not yet clear when Wycliffe was killed and who did it, but police found the body on Wednesday.

Police have not established the nature of his death and who was involved, and whether it is linked to his brother’s murder case.

“We are traumatized since we are still mourning the death of Kevin. This is shocking,” Kennedy Ongwae, who is the uncle to the two slain brothers told Shahidi News.

“We want police to explain to us what is happening. We just want answers.”

A day before Wycliffe’s body was found, Ongwae had spoken to him on phone.

“The apartment had been locked from inside,” a detective privy to the ongoing investigations told Shahidi News.

Already, a team of homicide detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations has taken over the murder probe.

“He could have been killed by parties who have an interest in many issues at hand. And given the manner in which officers at the station acted, it raises many questions,” one of the homicide detectives said.

Police officers who responded to the scene and Wycliffe’s neighbour have since been questioned.

The officers from Riruta police station are said to have declined to ferry the body to the morgue, on the flimsy excuse of “not having a car.” The family used private means.

“Sadly, Wycliffe had not yet testified in his brother’s murder case,” police said.

Kilimani head of DCI Stephene Tanki said detectives are yet to know the motive behind the killing. A postmortem examination has been scheduled for Tuesday, July 27, 2021.

-Conditions for Release of Obure and Bodo-

Obure was released on a Sh2 million cash bail and Sh500,000 for his body guard.

Justice Jessie Lessit prohibited the two from handling firearms until the matter is heard and determined.

They two were also directed not to interfere with witnesses lined up to testify in the case. They were also directed to deposit their travelling documents with the court. 

Kevin Omwenga was shot inside his Kilimani apartment on August 21. Obure’s bodyguard admitted to shooting him but said it was an ‘accident’.

An autopsy by the government pathologist established that the deceased was shot from an elevated angle. The bullet went through the heart and the left lung.