NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 8- It has emerged the thug who pulled the trigger twice, killing the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) journalist on Wednesday night made a mysterious phone call.
He made the call just after killing her, but even before that, police said “it seems someone was on a waiting call giving orders.”
Betty Barasa was shot twice in the head, at close range, police who saw her body told Shahidi News.
Police, citing a key witness who was hiding in the house as the gang of three terrorized her family said the thug said “sisi tumetimbua (we have killed her).”
Who was the recipient of the phone call? Why was Barasa, a celebrated senior video editor and a mentor to many, killed?
These are some of the questions detectives hope to answer.
What had transpired?
Barasa, who is also a University lecturer in a city university left work at 7.30pm, according to colleagues who spoke to Shahidi News.
She arrived at about 8.30 at her Ngong home, her househelp and son told police.
It is upon arrival and while waiting for the family gate to be opened that that she was accosted by a gang of three.
Shahidi News has established that the three were hiding at a neigbouring construction site.
“One of her children alongside the house help had come to open the gate, but immediately retreated after they saw the thugs. But the son screamed,” a senior detective privy to the details of witnesses testimonials said.
At this point, her husband who was in the house went out to check what was happening.
Then the thugs entered the house, with his wife, where they started making monetary demands.
“They ransacked the house but only found laptops and a few other electronics,” police said.
All this time, the thugs were restless since they had not found the house help and were worried, she would raise alarm on them.
Then came the moment when one thug escorted Barasa to upstairs of her Ololua house.
After a few minutes, her children and husband, who had at this point been taken to different rooms, heard two gunshots.
She was shot twice on the head and died instantly. Her body was taken to the Montezuma mortuary.
The motive of the killing is not yet established.
-A great mentor-
Journalists who have interacted with the late Barasa termed her as a hard working and a great mentor, and more so to young colleagues.
“This hits hard. Hurtful, painful, excruciating pain. The cloud of darkness that hovers over KBC and the newsroom particularly where Betty worked as a Senior video editor is just unfathomable,” her colleague, Jacob Kioria posted on Facebook upon learning of her death.
“To your killers Betty, may they never know peace. Those blood thirsty vampires will die a painful, full of regret type of death. And hey girl, torment them to their graves.”
Her longtime colleague and veteran journalist Bonnie Musambi termed the death as “devastating. Everyone at KBC is still in shock.”
The Crime Journalists Association of Kenya (CJAK) has condemned the killing, while urging detectives to ensure those involved are brought to book and their ill motive exposed.
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