Three suspects believed to be behind the June 12 church attack will remain in custody for 10 days as investigations continue.
The suspects, George Omondi Otieno, Effenburg Wanyama Khisa, and Melvin Alumasa were presented at Kibera Law Court on June 16, 2026.
The court granted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) 10 working days to detain them at Kibera police station.
According to a supporting affidavit sworn by PC Carrey Odhiambo from the DCI – Kilimani, at approximately 12 noon, a violent group of about 200 boda boda riders forcefully entered All Saints Cathedral within Kilimani Sub-County.
They violently disrupted an ongoing meeting, causing panic, mayhem, destruction, and breaching the peace.
Police officers who responded attempted to restore order peacefully but were overpowered by the mob. As a result, they discharged warning shots into the air to disperse the crowd and restore calm.
Preliminary investigations have established that the incident was organized, coordinated, and executed by several individuals acting in concert, with indications of prior planning, mobilization, and facilitation.
The suspects were positively identified through CCTV footage, which was retrieved and analyzed by forensic experts from the National Forensic Laboratory, DCI Headquarters.
The footage captured their participation in the violent disturbance. During the operation that led to their arrest, investigators recovered a Boxer motorcycle believed to have been used in the commission of the offense. The motorcycle appeared in CCTV footage at the scene.
Several mobile phones seized from the suspects were also recovered and preserved as exhibits, pending forensic examination to establish communication records, coordination, movement patterns, financial facilitation, and possible links to other suspects still at large.
The investigations are at an advanced but incomplete stage, involving analysis of CCTV footage, forensic examination of mobile phone data, tracing and recording key witnesses yet to give statements, conducting identification procedures, and tracing additional suspects captured at the scene. Several crucial witnesses are yet to be traced and interviewed.
There is a real likelihood that if the suspects are released at this stage, they may interfere with, threaten, influence, or otherwise compromise the safety and availability of witnesses.
The officer stated that the suspects’ places of residence are not sufficiently known, making it difficult to secure their attendance in court and increasing the risk of absconding.
Preliminary investigations revealed that immediately after the offense, the suspects went into hiding and deliberately evaded arrest until apprehended through an intelligence-led operation.
Several other suspects linked to the incident remain at large, and investigators have reasonable grounds to believe that releasing the suspects now could enable communication, coordination, concealment, destruction of evidence, and compromise ongoing investigations.
The investigating officer informed the court that the suspects are likely to interfere with ongoing forensic processes and digital evidence analysis, including mobile phone examination and communication data retrieval, which are yet to be completed.
The offenses under investigation are serious and involve organized criminal activity, violence, and public disorder within a place of worship, raising substantial public interest and security concerns.
Preliminary investigations and intelligence indicate that the suspects are members or associates of an organized criminal gang known as “CHINI YA MNAZI,” believed to have been involved in planning, mobilization, coordination, and execution of the violent disturbance at All Saints Cathedral.
Investigators are currently undertaking criminal profiling of the suspects and other members of this gang, aiming to establish its structure, operational networks, financiers, communication channels, and involvement in other criminal activities within Nairobi and surrounding areas.
The officer stated that additional time was needed to identify, trace, and apprehend other gang members captured in CCTV footage and linked to the incident through forensic and intelligence analysis.
He told the court that releasing the suspects now could compromise ongoing efforts to dismantle the network, interfere with intelligence gathering, facilitate communication with other gang members still at large, and hinder criminal profiling.
The suspects will remain in custody for 10 days as investigations continue. adjustments!
