IG Douglas Kanja raises concern over rising murder cases

Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja. [File, Standard]

Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has raised concern over the rising murder cases in the last two months.

This comes at a time when media reports indicate a rise in abduction and murder cases in different parts of the country.

In a statement issued on Thursday evening, Kanja revealed that police across the country had recorded 339 murder cases since August.

This he says, is the highest compared to the period between August and October in the last two years.

“The attention of the National Police Service is drawn to the disturbing patterns of murder cases reported to the Police in the past two months. A comparative analysis of murder cases reported from August to October for the years 2022- 2024, indicates a slight increase,” Kanja’s statement reads in part.

“In 2024, a total of 339 murder cases have so far been recorded, compared with 336 cases in 2023 and 341 cases in 2022 respectively,”

Therefore, the police service has urged Kenyans to report any suspicious activities they come across, and shed light on some of the cases that are in the public.

“We further wish to assure the public of our commitment to investigate these heinous acts of crime to their logical conclusions and bring the perpetrators to book,” Kanja says.

Two days ago, the body of Willies Ayieko, an employee of Wells Fargo Security firm was found in a thicket.

Ayieko was reported missing after he was abducted by unknown men while attending a funeral in Gem, Siaya.

His car was later found abandoned in a thicket. The body has been flown to Nairobi for autopsy as probe into the murder continues, Kanja says.