A Siaya High Court judge this afternoon refused bail to Professor Francis Ang’awa Okere of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) and two co-accused, extending their stay in remand custody amid escalating threats to witnesses in the murder case of Dennis Ambrose Achieng.
The trio — including the senior JOOUST official and two local residents — are charged with the murder of Achieng, a 73-year-old influential Bondo community member killed in late 2025. They appeared in the Bondo Resident Magistrate’s Court, where the prosecution successfully argued that bail should be denied due to the collapse of witness confidence and grave security concerns.
The case took a dramatic turn this week when Hezron Nyamburi — a 37-year-old key prosecution witness — was abducted from his home in Amayo village and later found murdered in a swamp in Ndati village on Friday afternoon.
Police believe Nyamburi’s killing was a retaliatory act linked directly to his role in the Achieng murder trial, heightening fears among other state witnesses and prompting intervention from senior investigators. Local residents reported he was forced onto a motorcycle by unknown assailants before his body was discovered.
In court, the prosecution told the judge that multiple witnesses had now expressed intense fear for their lives and were unwilling to continue cooperating, citing Nyamburi’s murder as proof that testifying could be fatal. This formed the basis of their application to have the accused held without bond, arguing that allowing bail would further jeopardize witnesses and hinder justice.
Legal experts note that when a lead witness is killed, courts often take a hardline stance on bail to prevent interference with the judicial process and protect the integrity of evidence — a principle seen in other high-profile Kenyan cases where witness intimidation was a concern.
The judge agreed, concluding that the risk of obstruction of justice and intimidation of remaining witnesses far outweighed the defendants’ interest in temporary release. The accused will remain in Kombul GK Prison pending further proceedings.
The tragic development has triggered calls from civil society leaders for urgent state protection of witnesses and a more robust response by law enforcement to dismantle alleged networks targeting participants in the trial.
