A 17-year-old girl arrested following the killing of
electoral commission official Chris Msando has been released unconditionally.
The girl was released on August 30 after police failed to link her to Mr
Msando's death.
He was killed alongside his female companion, Maryanne
Ngumbu. The girl had been held in police custody for a week after she was
arrested in Awendo, Migori County, on August 21 and later brought to Nairobi.
“She was released last Wednesday unconditionally and she in now at home in
Migori.
There was no evidence linking her at all. In fact, I am
thinking of suing the State for torturing her emotionally,” said her brother
Daniel Otieno. According to Mr Otieno, his sister was arrested because she once
called Msando’s number by mistake.
To establish the identity of the caller, Msando had sent her
Sh10 via M-Pesa. After Msando’s death, police tracked down the exchange and
arrested the girl, who was presented before a Kiambu court where police asked
for more time to hold her. The Kiambu Juvenile Court allowed police to hold the
girl at Muthaiga Police Station in Nairobi for seven days as police continued
with investigations.
Her detention came as the High Court discharged an
accountant being investigated in connection with the killing with no charges
being preferred against him. Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko
urged Justice James Wakiaga to discharge the suspect, Andrew Kipkoech Rono,
then direct him to be reporting to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations
(DCI) offices.
Mr Rono had been in police custody for 19 days on suspicion
that he sent a threatening message to Msando before he was killed.
