A flying squad officer whose phone record tied him to the murder of a cooperative union staff has been arraigned in court.
Elias Mayaka Onsarigo is held in custody for allegedly ending the lives of Nakuru workers cooperative union Secretary and a lady friend.
He appeared before Justice Jessie lessit but did not plead to murder charges against him after prosecution sought more time to file pre-bail affidavits.
Onsarigo is alleged to have killed the secretary of the troubled Nakuru Workers Cooperative Society David Gitau, 46, and a woman friend Beth Wandia.
It is alleged that they were shot multiple times by unknown people at Pipeline in Nakuru town on June 7, 2017 and their bodies dumped at Ngong forest in Nairobi county.
Justice Lessit granted the prosecution request and ordered Onsaringo be remanded at Nairobi Industrial Area Remand until October 23 when he is expected to take a plea.
The judge declined lawyer Harun Ndubi’s request to release his client on bond pending the taking of a plea.
“According to the bail and bond guidelines the court must put into consideration the victims, public interest and safety of the accused person. it is also important to consider the caliber of the person facing the charges: the court can not take action blindly,” the judge said.
Justice Lessit also ordered a pre- bail report to be tabled in court on Monday by probation officers and the prosecution to supply the defence with copies of witness statements by Thursday this week.
According to the prosecution, Onsarigo had been linked to the murder by mobile phone communication data.
It is also said that the officer was adversely mentioned by several witnesses in the case.
Since 2013, the troubled society has been dogged by mysterious murders of its top officials and members.
The killing of Gitau and Wandia in June this year brought to eight the number of officials and members whose deaths have been linked to a row over 64-acre land. Some murders remain unresolved.
Five other officials of the society have died in mysterious circumstances in the last five years.
The elected officials of the Co-operative are alleged to have been mandated to oversee the process of acquiring title deeds for their members, a process that has not been completed since 1992.
