Two-year manhunt ends as Kenyan man arrested in Tanzania over wife's 2024 murder

A man accused of murdering his wife in Athi River in May 2024 has been arrested in Tanzania after a two-year manhunt involving Kenyan and Tanzanian law enforcement agencies.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) identified the suspect as Jackson Otieno Bamboo, also known as James Babu Olang, who was arrested in Kirongwe, Shirati District, Tanzania, following intelligence-led investigations.

His wife, Sheila Odoyo, was found murdered inside her house in Athi River on the morning of May 9, 2024, prompting detectives to launch investigations into the killing and pursue her husband, who had gone missing.

According to the DCI, investigators pursued multiple leads before intelligence placed the suspect in Tanzania, where he was allegedly operating a club about 70 kilometres from the Muhuru border point.

Detectives from Athi River, working alongside officers from Nyatike and their Tanzanian counterparts, subsequently mounted a joint operation that led to his arrest.

At the time of his arrest, the suspect was reportedly found in possession of a Tanzanian national identity card bearing the name James Babu Olang, which the DCI said forms part of the ongoing investigations.

The suspect was initially booked at Nyatike Police Station before being escorted to Athi River Police Station, where he remains in custody pending arraignment to face a murder charge.

The arrest marks a breakthrough in the investigation into Odoyo’s killing, which had remained unresolved for more than two years.