Fear and grief have gripped Got Nyapong Village in Bondo, Siaya County, after a General Service Unit (GSU) corporal was brutally murdered by two masked men who stormed into his rural home in the dead of night.
The chilling incident happened in the early hours of Monday, August 10, when 44-year-old Corporal Henry Okello Omondi Ojudi, who was attached to the GSU Headquarters in Nairobi, was spending time at his rural home.
According to preliminary police reports, Ojudi was asleep beside his wife at approximately 2.30am when the attackers struck.
The two men, whose faces were concealed, allegedly forced their way into the house while armed with a panga and a sword. After gaining entry, they reportedly moved directly towards the bedroom, where Ojudi was sleeping.
What followed was a horrifying attack that left the officer fighting for his life.
The assailants allegedly stabbed Ojudi twice in the chest before dragging him outside the house. Once outside, they continued their assault, inflicting additional injuries to his head and shoulders.
His wife, who was in the bedroom when the attack began, was left unharmed. The attackers then fled from the compound and disappeared into the darkness before anyone could intercept them.
Perhaps one of the most puzzling aspects of the incident is that nothing was reportedly stolen from the home.
The absence of a robbery has left investigators trying to establish what may have motivated the killing. Police are now examining whether the attack was targeted and whether the assailants may have had prior knowledge of Ojudi’s presence at the home.
The gruesome discovery triggered a police response in the early hours of the morning. Officers from Bondo and Lwala Kotieno police stations were alerted at around 4.30am and quickly proceeded to the scene.
Investigators secured the compound and began documenting the scene as they worked to piece together the events leading to the corporal’s death. Evidence gathered from the scene is expected to form part of the investigation as detectives pursue leads that could help identify the attackers.
Ojudi’s body was later removed from the scene and transferred to the Bondo Sub-County Hospital mortuary, where it is being preserved pending a postmortem examination.
The examination is expected to provide further details regarding the injuries sustained and may help investigators establish the exact circumstances surrounding his death.
For the family, however, the questions surrounding the killing have only deepened the pain. A man who had served at the GSU Headquarters in Nairobi was reportedly spending a quiet night at his rural home when the violent attack abruptly ended his life.
As detectives continue their investigations, the two masked attackers remain at large, leaving residents of Got Nyapong Village anxious and searching for answers over a killing that has shocked the community.
Police are expected to rely on forensic evidence, witness accounts and other intelligence gathered during the investigation to establish the identity of the suspects and determine why Corporal Ojudi was singled out in the deadly pre-dawn attack.