Police want to detain soldier linked to murder

The suspect was grilled before being taken to DoD headquarters. [Sammy Omingo, Standard]

The police are seeking court orders to detain, for 14 more days, a military man linked to the killing of a female colleague in Mihang’o estate, Nairobi.

Mr John Gitau, a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier stationed at Embakasi Garrison, was arrested over the death of Ms Esuron Phoebe Kaele, a soldier based at Modica military camp in Garissa.

Ms Kaele had on Sunday arrived at Gitau’s house at Ever Green Court unannounced. She found a woman’s shoes at the doorstep and became suspicious that the boyfriend was cheating on her.

A quarrel followed when Ms Kaele demanded to know the owner of the pair of shoes.

According to a police report, the argument degenerated into a fight before |Mr Gitau picked a knife and stabbed Ms Kaele in the neck.

And yesterday, as military police returned to the scene, civilian police were in court seeking custodial orders to hold Mr Gitau and his said lover. Detectives on the case are still investigating the incident.

Tenants we found at the three-storey building declined to shed light on the incident, claiming they were not around when the killing took place.

Mr Gitau reportedly alerted a colleague about the death, and the colleague escalated the matter to his superiors before the police were notified.

On arriving at the scene, the police and military team found Kaele’s body lying on the sofa in the sitting room.

Blood-soaked clothes were found in a bucket hidden in the bathroom, the knife suspected to have been used in the murder was also found there.

The suspects were taken to Kayole Police Station where they spent the night before being presented at a Makadara court where custodial orders were sought.

“We are requesting to continue holding them for 14 more days in order to conduct our investigations,” said Njiru Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer Mr Jackson Owino.

Mr Joel Odhiambo, the caretaker of the apartment, was last evening taken to Department of Defence (DoD) headquarters after recording a statement at Embakasi Garrison.

Military police officers who returned to the apartment yesterday requested to talk to Mr Odhiambo before driving him to Embakasi Garrison. He was grilled before being taken to DoD headquarters.