Siaya: Suspected Serial Killer Behind Murder of Women, Girls Dies Moments after Arrest

• A man suspected of murdering women and girls in Siaya died just hours after his dramatic arrest in Kisumu, cutting short police efforts to extract crucial confessions
• The suspect, Charles Onyango alias "Kwa", had reportedly started giving police leading information when furious locals got wind of his return to Yala
• Eyewitnesses said a swelling mob overpowered officers near the boda boda stage, dragging Onyango from their grip
• Police admitted they were forced to abandon their vehicle after residents threatened to burn it, leaving the suspect defenceless as chaos erupted

Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

A man suspected of being behind a chilling wave of killings in Siaya county has met a violent end just hours after his arrest.

The suspect, identified as Charles Onyango alias "Kwa", was lynched by a furious mob on Thursday, August 7, morning, moments after police brought him back to Yala to assist in investigations.

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Onyango had been on the run for nearly two months following a spate of gruesome murders targeting women and schoolgirls in Gem Yala sub-county.

His arrest on Wednesday, August 6 night in Kibos, Kisumu county, marked a dramatic turn in a case that had left the community gripped by fear and anger.

Police say Onyango had posed as a herdsman in Kibos to avoid detection.

His attempt to blend in, however, failed when sharp-eyed residents recognised him and tipped off authorities.

Acting on the information, a joint operation between Yala and Kisumu officers was launched and Onyango was swiftly arrested and transported to Yala Police Station for questioning.

How did Siaya murder suspect die?

According to Gem Yala Sub-County Police Commander Charles Wafula, the suspect had begun cooperating with officers during interrogation and had even provided what police believed to be “leading information” on some of the murder cases.

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But before any major breakthrough could be realised, events took a deadly turn.

The angry mob dragged Onyango to the Yala boda boda stage where they beat him to death and set his body on fire.

"We arrested him in Kibos at a hideout. So we brought him here to the station. But when we left with him, he had given us some information, leading information. When members of the public got wind of it, a huge crowd gathered and blocked the road. They confronted us and at that point, we had no way out. They pulled him away and mob injustice took place," he narrated.

Witnesses say the crowd, which had swelled quickly upon news of his arrest, overwhelmed the police convoy.

Wafula revealed that some even threatened to torch the police vehicle, forcing the officers to retreat for their own safety.

"Then they wanted to burn the vehicle... For me, when it gets to that level, there’s nothing you can do. We were headed to a scene based on the information he had given us," Wafula added.

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How many Siaya murders are linked to Onyango?

His death brings to a close a tense chapter in Gem Yala, where at least several women and girls had gone missing or been found murdered under mysterious circumstances in recent months.

The community had grown increasingly frustrated with the slow pace of investigations and what they saw as repeated failures by law enforcement to protect them.

It remains unclear how many murders Onyango was linked to or whether further evidence will surface now that he is dead.

Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke