A Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer based at the Lanet Barracks in Nakuru has been arrested in connection with the death of his wife.
Kennedy Oloo, 29, was arrested Tuesday after an autopsy conducted on the body of 26-year-old Leah Oloo showed that she died as a result of suffocation by strangulation.
Leah Oloo died last Thursday, June 11 at her matrimonial home in Lanet, Bahati Constituency in Nakuru County, with her body being discovered the following day after Mr Oloo filed a report at a nearby police post that his wife had committed suicide.
The deceased had no head injuries but had a bruise on the neck; a groove was seen on the lower neck indicating that someone used a rope or string to strangle her.
The Tuesday postmortem report ruled out the initial report by Mr Oloo that cited suicide as the cause of his wife’s death.
“This man lives with his wife. By the time of Leah’s death, the victim and the suspect were the only people in the house. Kennedy was the first person to file a report that his wife had committed suicide. However, a postmortem report ruled out suicide as the cause of Leah’s death. The autopsy result indicated someone was involved in Leah’s death, and that a rope or string was used to strangle her,” said Nakuru County DCI chief Michael Mwenze.
Before meeting her untimely death, Leah had reportedly told her friends and family that she was leaving the three-year marriage “due to unending domestic fights”.
According to Citizen Digital, the family of the deceased claims she had made frantic calls after the suspect locked her up in the house on the day she was supposed to leave the marriage; she is also said to have made a recording and sent it to her sister.
“During Leah’s death, her husband was in the house. The husband even called our mother and told her that Leah was committing suicide. That simply means that Oloo was present when Leah was dying,” said the deceased’s brother.
Leah’s mother added: “I am appealing to the government to ensure that my daughter gets justice. Currently, I am financially challenged. I pray well-wishers help me raise money to transport my daughter’s body home for burial.”
The KDF officer was Wednesday arraigned at the Nakuru Law Courts before Resident Magistrate Benjamin Limo on Wednesday, June 17, where the prosecution successfully applied to hold him in custody as investigations into Leah’s death continue.
Oloo is expected back in court on Monday, June 22, when he is expected to be charged with murder.
