Trans Nzoia: 12 Ugandan Nationals Accused of Abducting, Killing Children Presented in Court
- Twelve suspects behind a wave of murders involving school-going children in West Pokot were finally presented in court
- The twelve, believed to be Ugandan nationals, were arrested following investigations into cases of school children missing
- They were presented before the Kitale Law Courts, but did not take a plea after the police applied to detain them for more days
- The arrest of the suspects sparked protests among locals who attempted to break into the Kapenguria Police Station, where they were being held
Twelve Ugandan nationals suspected of involvement in acts of abduction, murder and cannibalism of minors in West Pokot county have been presented in court.
Source: Original
The suspects appeared before a Kitale Chief Magistrate’s Court on Monday, July 7.
Appearing before Chief Magistrate Samuel Mokua, the twelve suspects did not take a plea after Sergeant Edward Ndemo, the investigating officer, requested the court to grant him 30 more days to complete investigations.
Mokua directed that six of the suspects believed to be minors undergo mandatory age assessments within two days. He further ordered that the other adult suspects be remanded for fourteen days.
Search option is now available at TUKO! Feel free to search the content on topics/people you enjoy reading about in the top right corner ;)
“I am directing that the minors be detained at Kitale Police Station for two days to undergo a medical evaluation to determine their exact ages, while the remaining six are to be remanded for two weeks,” the magistrate said.
Names of suspects linked to West Pokot murders
The twelve suspects aged between 10 and 50 years are Vincent Masika, Monica Cheptoo, Ruth Nalinda, Noel Khakwana, Stephen Khamnoo and Wilson Poisho. Others are Brian Kibet, Steven Karanja, Martha Cheyech, Paul M. Nabui, Emmanuel Ambale, and Leonard Ambalia.
They were arrested in Kapenguria following a series of investigations into several cases of missing persons reports in West Pokot county.
The suspects were initially held in Kapenguria Police Station before they were transferred to Kitale Police Station due to safety concerns after an angry mob attempted to storm the security facility.
Source: Original
The inconsolable residents who wanted to kill them torched the suspects’ residence.
Following the Sunday, July 6, arrests, Kapenguria residents barricaded the busy Kitale-Lodwar Road, demanding that law enforcement agencies hand over the suspects to them so that they could deal with them.
The protesters also called for the deportation of all the Ugandan nationals from West Pokot county, claiming that they are responsible for the crimes.
Did Ugandan nationals confess to eating children?
Previously, TUKO.co.ke reported that police in West Pokot had revealed that the suspects had confessed to abducting eight children, killing and eating them.
No bodies of the said children were found where the suspects were arrested.
However, West Pokot County Criminal Investigations Officer Daniel Musangi said they suspect the bodies of the children were disposed of in a toilet.
Following the arrest, a mother whose son went missing in 2006 claimed she had identified his clothes among items recovered from the suspects' hideout. The boy is said to have disappeared after attending church, and to date, he has never been traced.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Joshua Cheloti (Editorial assistant) Joshua Cheloti is a multi-skilled journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication and is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media and Communication at Mount Kenya University. At TUKO, he's an editorial assistant. Before TUKO, he worked at Nairobi Review as an editorial writer, at Hope Media (Hope TV and Hope FM) as a correspondent in Eldoret, Hivisasa.com digital content editor and online writer, at Biblia Husema Broadcasting (BHB), Eldoret as Radio Presenter. Email: Joshua.cheloti@tuko.co.ke
Emanuel Tarus I am professional multi-media journalist with eight years experience as a field-based correspondent. Integrity, objectivity and adherence to ethical standards are my guiding principles in journalism. I am based in Trans Nzoia county and very passionate about gender, crime, environment and climate change reporting. I am also interested in health, human interest, development, leadership and governance beats. In the future, I would like to specialize in diplomacy and geopolitics reporting to expand my reporting scope.
