The murder trial of the late Kilifi County IEBC Manager, Aisha Akinyi Abubakar, continued today at the Mombasa High Court, where her son took the stand and positively identified the accused individuals.
Qassim Mrisho, the son of the deceased, appeared before Justice Micheni Wendy as a key witness. He testified that the two suspects, Bryan Templer Oyare and Joseph Sunday Otieno, were responsible for his mother’s brutal killing.
According to Mrisho, it was Bryan who struck his mother on the head, leaving her gravely injured. He added that moments later, he saw Joseph peering through a corridor in the house, shortly after the fatal blow was delivered.
The incident took place in the early hours of January 5, 2025, at their home in Utange, Mombasa County. Aisha was stabbed multiple times and succumbed to her injuries.
Recounting the harrowing experience, Qassim told the court that he woke up around 3 a.m. after hearing noises in the corridor. Initially, he saw no one, but as he returned to his room, Bryan entered and confronted him.
Bryan demanded Qassim’s phone and tablet, which he surrendered. The court heard that Bryan attempted to withdraw money from Mrisho’s Mpesa account, but there were no funds available. Despite pleading with him to take what he wanted and leave, Bryan allegedly hit Qassim on the head with a blunt object, causing him to lose consciousness briefly.
When he regained consciousness, Mrisho rushed to his mother’s room, only to find her lying in a pool of blood, struggling to breathe. By then, the intruders had fled.
Brief background of the case is that: In the early morning hours of January 5, 2025 unidentified assailants had broken into the home of the IEBC official by cutting through the kitchen window grilles.
Armed with crude weapons, they assaulted Qassim and repeatedly stabbed Aisha despite her pleas for mercy.
They then stole several valuables, including two Samsung phones, an iPad, a 65-inch TV, a sound system, and ATM cards, forcing the PINs out of the victims.
Neighbors, alerted by the commotion, rushed to the scene and attempted to save Aisha by taking her to Premier Hospital in Nyali. Unfortunately, she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Later on the DCI arrested three suspects in the murder; Isa Omari, Brian Shikuku Mudari and Bryan Templer Oyare who were flushed from their hideouts in separate but coordinated operations within the coastal region
The hearing is set to resume tomorrow, May 13, 2025.
