A Shanzu court has ordered the 21-day detention of two suspects linked to the brutal murder of Aisha Abubakar, the acting Kilifi County Elections Manager for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). The official was fatally stabbed at her home in Utange, Mombasa County, on January 5, 2025.
Senior Principal Magistrate Leah Juma granted the detention order, stating that the seriousness of the case and the need for further investigation warranted their continued custody. The suspects, Joseph Sunday and Brian Templer Oyare, will remain at Bamburi police station.
Magistrate Juma highlighted that the suspects lacked fixed addresses, which made them a flight risk. Authorities also emphasized the need to finalize statements from key witnesses and conduct forensic analysis of recovered exhibits.
According to police reports, the suspects were apprehended on January 13, 2025, after eight days in hiding. A third suspect, arrested earlier, is expected to be turned into a state witness.
The gruesome attack unfolded when the assailants entered Aisha’s home by cutting through the kitchen window grills. Armed with a crowbar and knife, they attacked Aisha and her son. Witnesses reported that one of the attackers wore a facemask during the incident.
Aisha sustained fatal stab wounds, including a deep cut above her right eye. Her son, who also suffered serious head injuries, managed to drive her to Premier Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police recovered several items from the suspects, including the victim’s mobile phone, ID cards, SIM cards, and birth certificates. Stolen electronics, such as a 65-inch TV, a sound system, and an iPad, were also taken during the robbery.
The court set February 6, 2025, for the next mention of the case, as investigators continue gathering evidence.
Aisha Abubakar, who joined the IEBC in 2012 as a Constituency Elections Coordinator for Nyali, had served diligently and risen to the rank of Acting County Elections Manager in Kilifi. Her untimely death has left her colleagues and family devastated.
