by CYRUS OMBATI
Monday November 27, 2023
Crime Scene
Image: THE STAR
Police arrested seven suspects over terror claims in an operation in the Hawinga area within Alego-Usonga in Siaya County.
The multi-agency teams camping in the area said the operation will continue to address fears of radicalism.
This follows the stabbing to death of a police officer in the area last Monday where his gun and that of his colleague were robbed.
A special team from Nairobi joined those on the ground to investigate the claims of terror cells operating there.
The team raided the Hawinga and Uranga areas in search of the terror suspects and managed to arrest the first six on Sunday afternoon.
During the operations, assorted crude weapons including two pangas, one rungu, three knives and several Islamic literature were recovered from the suspects.
The team extended the operations to the Nyandorera area at Udamayi village and managed to arrest one more suspect then recovered several Islamic literature and writings, Arafat shawl, an Islamic hat, a small military bag, a pair of scissors, one plier, a pair of safety boots, about 200 grams of cannabis sativa seeds, one big spear and one black catapult.
The suspects are expected in court on Monday where police will apply to seek more time to hold them as investigations go on.
Police have confirmed the attackers of the police were returnees from Somalia and had been operating in the area.
It is not clear what motivated them to stage the attack in the sleepy village.
Detectives have revealed they suspect the area has many returnees who had been radicalized in Somalia.
Most of them are currently posing as hawkers and could strike anytime when instructed.
A special squad sent from Nairobi killed two of the suspects who killed the police officer and injured another one before robbing them of their rifles Wednesday morning near the Kenya-Uganda border.
They were killed in Hawinga area in Alego Usonga. They had moved from Wanga Hills near the border to the area where they were confronted, police said.
An AK47 rifle and an MP5 with 30 bullets were recovered from the suspects.
Police also recovered a muffin, white boots and a knife from the gang.
The hunt for a third suspect went on, police said. They were killed in a house they had been holed up for a day, police said.
The hunt was extended to the border after the three men believed to have been behind the incident in Siaya were spotted in a village in neighbouring Busia County hours after they had killed the police officer.
The men escaped later on and abandoned an Arafat shawl they had, police said.
It is the same piece of cloth they had when they staged the attack on Monday, November 20 morning in Siaya.
The three had taken shelter from the rains at an abandoned house in Ruambwa Sub-Location, Busia, when the owner spotted them.
Witnesses told police the three were in gumboots- two black and one had white one.
The strangers were found relaxed while warming themselves with a jiko which they had lit in the house and informed the owner they were sheltering from the rains and that they were hawkers in the area popularly known as Malimali businessmen.
According to police, the owner of the house demanded to see what the trio was carrying in a sack and some small bag which they had but they refused and stopped him from reaching near them.
He tried to call the area assistant chief but the men snatched his phone.
He told police he managed to grab an AK-47 rifle which had protruded from the sack and struggled for some time as he was being hit on the back by the other two until they produced another gun.
Another neighbour who was with the owner of the house said he ran away on seeing the struggle.
He raised an alarm prompting the men to run away from the scene in the 5 pm incident.
The trio then made their way towards Wanga Hills leaving behind an Arafat scarf red-white checked, a maroon T-shirt and a note, police said.
They stabbed constable Edwin Erocho in the neck, face and chest killing him while his female colleague managed to escape into a bush but after being robbed of her rifle.
The incident happened on Monday, November 20, morning. Erocho died on the spot.
The colleague of the deceased was injured and is admitted to a hospital in stable condition, police said.
They were escorting the papers to Mahero secondary school when they were attacked from behind.