John Inzofu Odinga Convicted for the Murder of Form Four Student CMM in Kakamega County
A Form Four student travelling from Nairobi to visit her grandmother in Kakamega County was murdered after missing her scheduled bus, with her killer ultimately linked to the crime through her own social media account, nation.africa reported. John Inzofu Odinga was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the killing of CMM, whose body was discovered wrapped in a polythene bag along a riverbank in October 2021.
The Journey from Nairobi to Mumias and the Disappearance in Butere
CMM set off from her aunt’s Nairobi home on October 4, 2021, carrying a black bag packed with 6kg of Kabras sugar, two packets of Fahari tea leaves, three schoolbooks—Chozi la Heri, Golden Tips Chemistry, and Mirror Biology—and her Lenovo tablet. She was expected to alight from an Eldoret Express bus at Shianda market in Mumias by 7:00 PM, where her uncle, David Wanga, waited. When the bus failed to arrive, David received a frantic phone call at approximately 9:30 PM from his niece, who was crying and stated she believed she was in Butere.
David rushed to Butere to search for her without success and alerted the family. Later that evening at around 10:00 PM, an aunt in Nairobi messaged CMM asking if she was safe, receiving a reply about an hour later stating, “I am safe.” That was the final communication from the device before it was switched off. David reported her missing three days later at Butere Police Station on October 7, 2021, while simultaneously launching his own search.
The Facebook Photograph and the Citizen’s Arrest at Muraka Market
During the search, CMM’s cousin Maureen noticed an unfamiliar man’s photograph posted on CMM’s Facebook profile. David took the photograph to boda boda riders at the Shianda market stage, who identified the individual as John Inzofu Odinga. David and the riders tracked Odinga to Muraka market and executed a citizen’s arrest. When Odinga attempted to escape while being escorted to Butere Police Station, the group tied his hands and legs with ropes before Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers intercepted them and took him into custody.
Investigators searched Odinga’s home near his bed and recovered the black bag containing the 6kg of sugar, two packets of tea leaves, the three schoolbooks, and the Lenovo tablet. Concurrently, a security guard walking along a riverbank discovered a heavy black polythene bag floating in the water containing CMM’s body. A postmortem examination revealed she had been strangled, suffered a broken neck, and sustained bruising to her private parts.
Trial Defence Rejected by the Court
During the trial, Odinga denied involvement and claimed police framed him by taking his photograph and uploading it to CMM’s Facebook account. The judge rejected this defense, noting that the Facebook update containing Odinga’s photograph was published before police involvement and prior to the family reporting the teenager missing. The court established that the suspect could not have been framed because the digital footprint was created before authorities entered the case, leading to the 40-year prison sentence.
Family Identifies John Inzofu Odinga as Suspect
When did CMM travel from Nairobi to Kakamega County?
She began her journey on October 4, 2021, travelling from her aunt’s residence in Nairobi toward her grandmother’s home in Mumias, Kakamega County.
How was John Inzofu Odinga initially identified by the victim’s family?
CMM’s cousin Maureen spotted an unfamiliar man’s photograph posted on CMM’s Facebook page, which family members and local boda boda riders used to identify Odinga at Shianda market.
What evidence was recovered from Odinga’s residence?
DCI officers searching Odinga’s home found a black bag near his bed containing 6kg of Kabras sugar, two packets of Fahari tea leaves, three schoolbooks, and the victim’s Lenovo tablet.
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