'We tied his body to a tree': Witness recounts finding Tom Osinde's decomposing body

Julius Mugoi Ogao, who is accused in the murder of Ex-Treasury official Tom Osinde on June 17 and 18, 2023, at Ngata, Nakuru. [Yvonne Chepkwony, Standard]

A witness has testified in the Nakuru High Court how he tied the body of former Treasury official Tom Osinde to a tree which was floating on River Kuja, to prevent it from sinking.

Augustine Odoyo testified before Justice Julius Nangea that Osinde’s body was floating on the River Kuja, which borders their land.

Odoyo was testifying against Julius Ogao, who allegedly killed Osinde on the night of June 17 and 18, 2023, at his Ngata Farm in Rongai, Nakuru County.

The ex-treasury official had allegedly disappeared on the night of June 17, only for his decomposing body to be identified 13 days later at a morgue in Migori.

“On June 22, 2023, at 9 am, I received a call from my mother about the body of a human being found floating in the River Kuja. My brothers and I rushed to the said river and found the said body floating on the river held by a stone two to three metres from the bank of the river,” he said.

Odoyo said that according to their culture, whenever a body is seen in the river, it should be tied to prevent further drowning while awaiting police arrival.

 One of his brothers, he said, had a rope. Odoyo stepped into the water and tied Osinde’s hand.

“We pulled the body near the bank of the river with the help of villagers and tied the rope on a small tree; the body remained submerged in the river,” he said.

Odoyo said the area chief was called and informed about the incident.

At around noon, he said, police officers from the Kamagambo Police Station arrived at the scene, where they assisted them in removing the said body.

“He was the body of a tall male wearing a short-sleeved polo t-shirt and a black vest; his shorts were missing. The left back of his head appeared to have a deep cut,” he added.

Sammy Makokha, a mortician at Migori Referral Hospital, said the body had deep cuts at the time police took it to the morgue.

“The head had a deep cut going around the back of the head and neck. The body was in an advanced state of decomposition and had an injury on the mouth as the flesh was missing,” he said.

The body was booked as unknown.

On June 29, the body was identified by Osinde's family and transferred to Kisii County morgue for preservation.