NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 14 – Police have arrested two men implicated by self-confessed serial killer Philip Onyancha as having worked with him in abductions both in Nairobi and Naivasha.
The two men were arrested on Saturday after Onyancha implicated them in some of the murder cases he confessed to have committed in the last two years.
Head of the Special Crime Preventions Unit (SCPU) Richard Katola said they were looking for the third suspect who had since gone underground.
“We are interrogating them, and from what we have established, they were accomplices of this man. They will definitely stand trial with him,” Mr Katola said.
“We are finalizing the investigations, the charges will include murder and abductions,” he added.
Mr Katola further revealed that Mr Onyancha ‘will be taken through a formal process to confess before a Magistrate tomorrow (Monday) before he is arraigned in court on Tuesday.’
“Those are normal procedures, confessions before a magistrate is part of it, but and since we have a number of issues to tackle tomorrow (Monday), it means we will not be able to produce him in court tomorrow, they will be in court on Tuesday,” he said.
Mr Katola said Mr Onyancha had undergone medical tests and found to be fit to stand trial.
“He was tested in Nakuru in the course of last week, he is fit to stand trial,” Mr Katola said.
Another senior detective familiar with the progress of the case, told Capital News Mr Onyancha and his accomplices will face murder charges for less than ten cases that they have completed investigations.
This includes the murder of Catherine Chelangat, 32, who went missing in November 22, 2008, and whose decomposed body was found on the rooftop of the offices of the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company in Karen as well as the killings of commercial sex workers Hellen Nyambura and Jackline Wambui, 25, whose bodies were found in lodging rooms at Rwambogo Bar and Restaurant and Suitable Bar in Thika in March this year.
Mr Onyancha and his accomplices will also face a separate murder charge for nine year old Antony Njirwa whose decomposed body was found at the Lenana School, Nairobi.
Other murder charges lined up for the three include that of another nine-year-old boy, Natan Baraza and a 22-year-old woman whose killings Onyancha has claimed responsibility.
Although, Mr Onyancha has confessed to killing 19 people, police said they have not finalized investigations on some of the killings because some of those killed remain unknown to date.
“The files which are ready are those of people who were killed and are known or their relatives have been able to identify items found at murder scenes,” Mr Katola said and added “we will still prefer more charges on them once the other files are ready.”
In the meantime, detectives are still interrogating a female teacher implicated by Mr Onyancha as having initiated him into a blood-drinking cult but so far, she has not made any revelation.
Police were still interrogating her on Sunday but complained that she was too uncooperative.
“We have not made any head way, we are going at her pace because she seems disturbed and sometimes, she chooses to just keep quiet,” one police officer said.
He told police and journalists that he was targeting 100 people in line with his cult after which he was to become a “very rich man”.
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