In Homa Bay County’s Rachuonyo South, police arrested an off-duty Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier, accused of torturing a man in a viral video before the victim’s subsequent demise.
Authorities said the incident occurred on April 7, 2024.
The disturbing video shows the purported military man, accompanied by another individual, assaulting 20-year-old Collins Okiro, at Sino village in Rachuonyo South Sub-county. It captures Okiro pleading for mercy as the two men beat him up.
One of the assailants is seen stepping on Okiro’s head, while the men accuse Okiro of theft. Demanding answers, the men interrogate Okiro about his alleged accomplices.
However, the victim, whose eyes are covered with a piece of cloth, vehemently denies the accusations.
Confirming the incident, Rachuonyo South Sub-county Police Commander, Lilies Wachira, said the KDF soldier, along with his brother and another individual, arrived at late Okiro’s residence at 9 am.
Investigations indicate that the trio engaged Okiro and his wife in conversation before persuading him to accompany them.
“They convinced him to leave with them to a destination that was not clear to his wife,” Ms Wachira explained.
Shortly after leaving his residence, the accused and his companions purportedly turned on Okiro, subjecting him to assault. They then reportedly forced him, still alive, into the trunk of their vehicle before departing.
Later on, Okiro’s lifeless body was found dumped a brief distance away from the scene of the assault.
The police chief stated that Okiro’s wife positively identified the suspect and his brother as the individuals who took her husband.
“The deceased man’s wife recorded statement saying her husband left home with the KDF officer and his team peacefully. She doesn’t know the third person but the officer and his brother come from the same village with his husband,” Ms Wachira stated.
Police officers managed to arrest the KDF officer while a manhunt is ongoing for the other suspects.
“We arrested the KDF officer and we are still looking for the remaining two suspects in connection with the murder,” said the police chief.
Okiro’s remains were transferred to the mortuary at Rachuonyo South Sub-county Hospital, awaiting postmortem.
