Witness tells court he was paid Ksh.9K to ferry Willis Ayieko murder suspects

Three suspects were on Monday brought before the Siaya High Court to face murder charges over the brutal killing of Wells Fargo Human Resource Manager Willis Ayieko in October last year.

Victor Ouma Okoth alias Sisco, Samuel Onyango alias Jaboda, and Dancun Ochieng appeared before Justice David Kemei, where they were charged with orchestrating a calculated and cold-blooded murder of the former Wells Fargo HR boss.

During the hearing, two witnesses testified; government pathologist Johansen Oduor, who conducted the post-mortem, and a state witness.

The protected witness narrated how he was paid Ksh.9,000 to transport the three suspects to assist in the operation that led to Ayieko’s abduction, torture, and subsequent killing.

According to the witness, Sisco contacted him and asked him to find a motorcycle, claiming it was needed for a job being coordinated by an individual known as Champee, allegedly one of the masterminds behind the murder, but now deceased.

He stated that he was not told the details of the assignment, only that he would receive a good payment if he availed a motorcycle and remained on standby.

The witness said Sisco assured him that all he needed to do was fuel the bike and wait for further instructions.

On October 18, Sisco is said to have called to confirm whether he had secured the motorcycle. When the witness affirmed, he was instructed to meet Sisco at 5:30 PM in Dudi.

Sisco reportedly paid for fuel at a nearby filling station.

They met at a pub at Mutumbu Centre where two other men were drinking. Sisco instructed the witness to follow a motorcycle carrying a man identified as Champee, where along the way, they stopped, and both Sisco and Champee entered a dark area.

According to the witness, the duo changed and returned; Champee now wore a U.S. military-style jacket and carried an AK-47 rifle, while Sisco donned a black jacket and also had a rifle.

The group arrived at a homestead during a funeral. The witness waited outside while Sisco and Champee went in and later returned in a vehicle, with Champee driving.

They stopped near a mud-walled house where the witness saw them escort a man—his head covered and hands cuffed—toward the house.

Sisco, holding a gun, ordered the man to walk. Around 11:00 PM, Sisco asked the witness to take him to Kisumu to withdraw money.

After visiting several M-Pesa shops, Sisco made withdrawals using a foldable phone. By 6:00 AM, the witness dropped Sisco in Dudi, returned the motorcycle, and went home.

The next day, October 19, Sisco returned in a pickup truck, collected his things, and said he was moving to Nairobi for a job.

The witness told the court he was unaware that anyone had been killed during the incident. He said he only learned of the murder after being arrested by police.

During the hearing, Dr Oduor told the court that the autopsy report revealed that Ayieko died of severe head injuries. He added the body which had started to decompose had some tissues missing.

Ayieko went missing on October 18, 2024. After five days of uncertainty, his body was discovered in a shallow stream near the Siaya-Kakamega County border.