Didmus Barasa Freed But On These Conditions

UPDATE 4.31 pm: Kimilili Member of Parliament-elect Didmus Barasa has been freed on a Ksh10 million bond and a surety of Ksh5 million over the murder of Brian Olunga.

However, he has been ordered to surrender his firearms and stay away from Bungoma County pending investigations into the shooting incident. He had earlier pleaded not guilty to charges levelled against him.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has released its report on Kimilili Member of Parliament-elect, Didmus Barasa, following the murder of Brian Olunga.

In its statement, the DCI noted that Barasa took a plea on Wednesday morning, August 24 at the Kakamega High Court, whereby he pleaded not guilty.

Meanwhile, its specialized team of detectives drawn from the Homicide branch, Digital & Cybercrime and the Forensic Crime Scene Investigations units conducted comprehensive investigations and placed Barasa at the scene of the murder. 

Similarly, ballistic experts based at the DCI National Forensic Laboratory linked the lawmaker's firearm to the fatal shot that took away Olunga’s life.

This followed a report issued by the ballistic experts after the investigating team forwarded Barasa’s Glock Pistol, a cartridge retrieved from the scene and bullet fragments to the ballistic lab for forensic analysis. 

The report noted that the recovered cartridge was fired by the Glock pistol issued to Barasa. 

"Further, a postmortem report by the government pathologist opined that the cause of death was severe head injury occasioned by a gunshot wound. During the autopsy, bullet fragments were also retrieved from the deceased’s brain. 

"In order to deliver justice to the family of the victim, detectives have in their cause of investigations consolidated an avalanche of evidence that irrefutably links the suspect to the murder most foul," stated the DCI. 

Barasa is now facing murder charges contrary to section 203 as read with section 204 of the penal code.

He shot and killed Olunga on August 8, 2022, at Chebukwabi in Kimilili, Bungoma county in unclear circumstances. Olunga had been hired as a bodyguard to Brian Khaemba, who was competing against Barasa for the Kimilili parliamentary seat.

In an incident that drew national outrage, the legislator then went into hiding and resurfaced days later, following a directive issued by the DCI boss George Kinoti, that he surrenders within six hours.

Barasa eventually turned himself in at the Bungoma police station. However, he told the media that an unknown person wanted to eliminate him on Sunday, August 7, the same night his private bodyguard was attacked.

"I went to Nairobi so that the court can give anticipatory bail. I saw on TV or regional police commander asking me to surrender and I drove all the way from Nairobi ready to cooperate with the police.

"On Sunday night, my private bodyguard was attacked badly and he was in a coma for three days and he was on life care. the same night I survived an assassination attempt," he said.