Suspected killers of Kenyan election official arrested

The vehicle that was intercepted parked at Gulu Police Station. It was later moved to Police headquarters in Kampala.

The Uganda Police Flying Squad have intercepted a car in which suspected killers of Kenyan Deputy Director at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Christopher Chege Msando were travelling.

The vehicle, a Toyota Fortuner, with Ugandan registration number plates; UAX 311E was intercepted at Pabbo Sub-county, Amuru District in northern Uganda, on Friday afternoon.

Three suspects, a Kenyan national and two Ugandans have been detained.

 The suspects have been identified as Mathew Butia a Kenyan national, and Mr Joseph Okongo and Moses Goloba both Ugandans.

It is reported that the suspects entered Uganda through Malaba border post in Tororo District and were heading to Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Aswa River Region Police Spokesperson, Mr Jimmy Patrick Okema confirmed the development saying the arrests are related to Mr Msando’s death.

He said the police Flying Squad trailed the vehicle after a tipoff on Monday.

“It’s believed that the vehicle could be for killers, but I still don’t have all the details, may be Interpol will give all the details. However, this is the little information I have, the arrest is related to Msando’s death,” Mr Okema said.

Mr Okema said the vehicle originally had Kenyan registration number plates; KCJ 672V, adding that the suspects reportedly replaced them with Ugandan plates in Tororo District, eastern Uganda.

“The suspects and the intercepted vehicle have been taken to police headquarters in Kampala for further investigation,” Mr Okema told Daily Monitor.

It is still unclear whether the vehicle belongs to the suspects or to the murdered Msango.

Last Monday, Kenyans woke up to the sad news of the death of Msando, the man who was in charge of Kenya's computerised voting system, just days to the August 8 general elections.

Msando and a female companion identified as Maryanne Wairimu Ngumbu were found dead in the outskirts of Nairobi.

Kenyan press reported that Msando who had only been on the job for two months, was “tortured and murdered.”