In breaking news out of Bondo, police have arrested three prominent local figures in connection with a grisly murder tied to a long-simmering land dispute. The suspects include Professor Francis Ang’awa Okere – a geography scholar and Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science & Technology (JOOUST) – Meshack Okuku Ndiege, chairman of the Siaya County Beach Management Unit (BMU) network, and Joash Ongoro, a staff member at Chianda High School.
Early today they were detained at Bondo Police Station and subsequently transferred to Kombul GK Prison as investigators probe the December 14th killing of 73-year-old Dennis Ambrose “Achieng” Rajwayi – the influential father of Chrispine “Chris Pilot” Omondi Achieng, Director of Public Communication for Siaya County.
Local sources say the murder occurred at the family homestead in South Sakwa, Bondo, on the evening of December 14.
The victim, widely known as Jaduong’ Achieng Rajwayi, was recently laid to rest after a violent clash over beach access left him fatally injured. That earlier incident – a mob attack as he returned from church – had already rocked the community, and now Rajwayi’s sudden death is being labeled a murder stemming from a bitter, long-standing land feud.
Reporters on scene note that Rajwayi was a patriarchal figure with deep roots in South Sakwa (he helped raise several generations there), and that he leaves behind a large extended family and four wives. The slain elder’s son, Chris Pilot, is a former Ramogi FM radio star turned Siaya County government official, making the case both highly sensitive and emotionally charged.
In a dramatic turn, the three suspects apprehended today are well-known in Siaya’s public life. Prof. Francis Ang’awa Okere (born 1959) is not only an associate professor of Geography at JOOUST, but has served as Principal of the Kisumu Campus and currently holds a senior administrative post as Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Planning, Administration and Finance.
His arrest stunned academic circles; colleagues recall that he even served on a county task force to establish a second university.
Meshack Okuku Ndiege, the 54-year-old BMU chairman, is a veteran of Siaya’s fishing community. He was frequently quoted in news reports as the voice of the Beach Management Units, warning fishermen about illegal lake patrols and enforcing fisheries regulations.
The third suspect, Joash Ongoro, is a teacher at Chianda High School in Siaya. (Local press describe him as an elder in that community, though less is publicly documented about his background.)
Investigators have charged all three with murder. It is not yet clear what evidence police have gathered, but the arrests came swiftly after residents reported suspicious activity around the family homestead in recent days.
Background interviews reveal the murder may be the culmination of a protracted land feud in the area. Kenyans are painfully familiar with such disputes: even in neighboring Ugunja Sub-County, a family that had occupied a farm for seven decades was recently threatened with eviction by a distant relative claiming sole title.
In Siaya’s South Sakwa, villagers say Rajwayi owned a cherished plot near the lakeshore, long the subject of conflicting claims. Some reports suggest that tensions over control of the Gul Min Augo beach – a valuable stretch for both fishing and leisure – had flared multiple times. The victim’s November attack was also blamed on a “clash over control of beach space”.
Police sources now speculate that last month’s attack and the December 14 killing are linked: family insiders allege Rajwayi was targeted in retaliation for recent legal maneuvers, though no court records are yet public. Community elders lament that what began as an inheritance wrangle has turned bloody, underscoring how land rows in Siaya can quickly spiral into violence.
Siaya County police have not released a statement, but sources say all three suspects have been remanded at Kombul GK Prison while detectives collect evidence.
This morning there was a commotion outside Bondo Police Station when news of the arrest spread. Shortly afterwards the suspects were transferred to DCI offices in Siaya where they were processed before being taken to the Kombul GK Prison facility where they will spend the night and be presented to court tomorrow for plea taking.
The county government (headed by former civil rights lawyer Governor James Orengo) has vowed full cooperation, though observers caution that finger-pointing could become intense.
Siaya County leadership – including Chris Pilot himself – has asked the public to remain calm and let the justice system run its course. “My family demands justice,” Pilot is reported to have said in a public tribute. He reminded the community that his father “lived fully and served faithfully”, invoking prayers for peace.
As of this hour, residents remain on edge over what unfolds next. One thing is clear: the case has cast a harsh light on land rights and local authority in Siaya. In a county already embroiled in disputes over campus land and development projects, the fate of Prof. Okere, Mr. Ndiege and Mr. Ongoro will be watched closely – a real-time test of law and order amid political intrigue.
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