Probe Widens as 10 Suspects Held for 10 Days
By The Anchor Reporter
The investigation into the brutal murder of Machakos County Government officer Alphonse Matee has taken a new twist after detectives arrested a woman believed to have been a close acquaintance of the deceased, raising the number of suspects in custody to ten.
The woman, who is married, was arrested as police widened their investigations into the circumstances surrounding Matee’s death.
CCTV footage from the Brew Box Club where Matee had a drink with his colleagues and unidentified women shows a fierce fight where he vigorously fought,climbing down the staircase.
While the arrested woman may not have been in the brawl, investigators say they want her to explain what she knows about the deceased and his final movements before his body was discovered.
Mavoko Senior Principal Magistrate Meresio Opondo has ordered the ten suspects detained for ten days from June 23 to July 2, when they are expected to return to court.
By then, investigators are expected either to formally charge those against whom sufficient evidence has been gathered or release those for whom no charges are preferred.
The latest arrest comes days after detectives presented nine suspects before the court seeking more time to complete investigations.
They are Johnstone Wambua Ndonye, Meshack Manthi Kioko, Antony Musila Mbaluka, Monicah Ndanu Mutunga, Daniel Kyengo Nzisa, Joseph Munguti Mbusi, Shadrack Keli Matata, Bernard Mutunga and Michael Nzioki.
Among them are three colleagues of the deceased at the Machakos County Government—Johnstone Wambua Ndonye, Meshack Manthi Kioko and Antony Musila Mbaluka—who were among the last people known to have been with Matee before he disappeared.
Ndonye is represented by Machakos lawyer Reuben Mutiso while Kioko and Mbaluka are represented by Jackson Kalla. Nairobi lawyer Morris Kimuli is representing the 4th- 7th persons.
Court documents filed by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) indicate that Matee was last seen at Brew Box Bar and Grill in the company of several of the suspects before he vanished.
His body was later recovered at Kwa Mutula Ranch along the Kyumbi–Machakos Road.
Police found his hands, legs and neck tied with pieces of cloth, while a post-mortem examination established that he died from severe head and neck injuries caused by blunt force trauma.
Detectives have told the court they require additional time to analyse CCTV footage recovered from the entertainment joint, examine mobile phone records, scrutinise M-Pesa and bank transactions, and receive toxicology results from the Government Chemist.
An investigator familiar with the probe told The Anchor that the latest arrest does not mark the end of the operation.
“There are still persons of interest who remain at large and are attempting to evade arrest. The investigations are continuing,” the investigator said.
It is alleged that the drinking party was drugged by women who joined them. It is these women who are at large. Men who have been drugged in similar circumstances say these women are never arrested, because the victims do not pursue them.
In the present case, the fact that death is reported arround a drugging incident shows an alarming drift of this practice where men are robbed of cash,phones and laptops in cases that police hardly pursue.
The source said the newly arrested woman has emerged as an important person of interest because of her long relationship with the deceased and may assist investigators in reconstructing Matee’s final hours.
The case has attracted widespread public attention across Machakos County, with investigators pursuing what they describe as a complex inquiry involving forensic evidence, financial records, mobile phone data and witness statements to establish who was responsible for the county officer’s killing.
The suspects will remain in custody until July 2, when the court will be informed whether the investigations have yielded sufficient evidence to warrant murder charges or whether some or all of those detained will be released.
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