Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa pleads not guilty to the murder of opponent’s aide
Kimilili Member of Parliament-elect Didmus Barasa has pleaded not-guilty to the murder of Brian Olunga, an aide to his opponent Brian Khaemba.
Appearing virtually in Kakamega court, Barasa will know his bail decision at 3 pm.
He was held in Kisumu cell for two weeks prior to today’s plea hearing.
“We could not charge him in Bungoma for obvious security reasons,” said an official aware of the issue.
Police had requested the legislator be held in custody for 14 days in order to conduct the post-mortem on the deceased and gather additional evidence for the case.
Olunga was found dead after an examination revealed he had been shot in the right side of the head by a pistol.
He died from extensive bleeding when the bullet became lodged in his head, according to the post-mortem.
Western area pathologist Doctor Dickson Muchana oversaw the exercise.
Police were granted time to wrap up their inquiries and provide more witnesses—including representatives from National Youth Service (NYS) and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) an opportunity to provide testimonies.
According to early evidence, the event occurred when the two got into a fight, which caused Khaemba to leave and go to his car.
“Barasa followed him in the company of four men and ordered them not to allow him (Khaemba) to leave the place but Khaemba’s driver Joshua Nasokho defied the order and ignited the vehicle,” said police.
