Court allows police to continue holding two suspects in the murder of Mombasa fishmonger
Before being found dead, the fishmonger is reported to have spoken with her mother and revealed that she wanted to say something to her
The High Court in Mombasa has allowed the police officers to continue holding two suspects in the killing of a 26-year-old fishmonger.
McDonald Ochieng Owino alias Don, and Alice Ochieng Achieng, who are suspected to have killed Jane Achieng Omullo with others still at large, are facing murder charges contrary to section 2023 of the Penal Code.
The two, together with others who are being hunted by detectives, are suspected of having committed the act between February 7 and 8.
“This court is hereby informed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) that Don and Alice have been charged with murder contrary to section 203 as read with section 204 of the Penal Code Cap 63 Laws of Kenya,” the charge sheet stated.
The two are expected to undergo a mental assessment before they take the plea, and the matter will be heard on May 17.
In the chilling murder, the dismembered body of the woman was discovered on February 8, in a sack dumped outside a rental house in Approved area in Timbwani, Likoni sub-county.
The body was missing both legs, palms, and the head, as the head was later found in Kwale County.
The motive behind the gruesome act by the two suspects, among others, remains unclear.
Before being found dead, the fishmonger is reported to have spoken with her mother and revealed that she wanted to say something to her.
Two days later, she went missing, and her family launched her search.
Her which had been preserved at the Mombasa County Referral Hospital morgue for almost two months, were later transported to Rachuonyo, Homa Bay County, where she was buried according to Luo traditions.
Her grieving mother, Ann Achieng’, said the family had no choice but to proceed with the burial, as the wait for justice has been long and painful, compounded by an escalating mortuary bill.
She said they had hoped to recover all her remains, but with no progress in the investigations and mounting expenses, they had to make a difficult decision.
“We decided to bury her like this because the hospital bill keeps increasing, and I have been in Mombasa for too long, following up on my daughter’s case,” she said.
The arraignment of the two comes as hope for the family, as they had previously expressed disappointment over what they termed a slow and inconclusive investigation by the authorities.
