Kimilili Member of Parliament Didmus Barasa was on Monday, August 15, arraigned in court over the alleged murder of a man in Bungoma last week.
The MP-elect appeared before a Bungoma court where the prosecution sought more time to allow police complete investigations into the Tuesday, August 9, incident.
Didmus Barasa surrenders
Barasa surrendered to authorities on Friday after being on the run for two days.
According to the police, the suspect shot and killed Brian Olunga, an aide to one of his opponents after a disagreement at Chebukwani Polling Station, before going into hiding.
“Hon Barasa, is wanted for the cold-blooded murder of Brian Olunga, whom he shot on the forehead killing him on the spot, on Tuesday, August 8, at Chebukwabi in Kimilili, Bungoma county,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said in a statement on Thursday.
The Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said on Monday that police are seeking to detain the suspect to allow more witnesses including officers from the National Youth Service (NYS) and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), who were present at Chebukwabi Polling Station, to record statements.
“Prosecution led by ODPP Regional Head Western, Peter Kiprop, applied that the MP remains in custody to allow ODPP engage Witness Protection Agency (WPA) to protect witnesses who expressed fear to testify,” the ODPP said in a statement.
The detectives, the ODPP said, also need time to complete and present ballistic and postmortem reports to help the prosecution build a water tight case.
The court will rule on the application tomorrow, August 16.
Kimilili MP, Didmus Barasa was today arraigned (appeared online) at Bungoma Courts for murder. Prosecution asked for more time to allow more witnesses, including NYS & IEBC officials who were present at Chebukwabi Polling Station, to record statements.
— Office of The Director Of Public Prosecutions (@ODPP_KE) August 15, 2022
