Cops reveal possible motive for June Jerop's murder

 

Detectives believe the murder of a 36-year-old woman who was found murdered and her badly deformed body dumped in Jamhuri estate in Nairobi is linked to her place of work.

June Jerop Kangogo was until her death an accountant at the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA).

She was in charge of the vote account, a powerful section in the accounts department.

What links the death to her work is the fact that all three suspects in custody are employees at NITA and work in the accounts department.

The suspects include Jerop’s boyfriend Jessie Wafula.

He was arrested together with his accomplices Allan Wafula and Timothy Masika.

Allan had quit the agency more than a year ago, his colleagues say.

Further, prior to her death, insiders have told police the deceased and one of the suspects had been summoned by their bosses for grilling over some questionable deals and missing money at NITA.

An investigation was ongoing and many believe this may have led to her macabre murder.

“We are following some leads to that effect. It was likely over money issues at work,” said an investigator aware of the probe.

Police have so far not ruled out the theory and it is among those they are pursuing.

A postmortem conducted on the body of Jerop revealed she was stabbed in the chest.

The autopsy says Jerop died due to severe bleeding after she was stabbed in the chest, thereby rupturing the heart.

Jerop went missing on March 18 before her body was discovered by pedestrians in Jamhuri area two days later.

A memorial service of the late Jerop was Thursday held at the Montezuma Monalisa in Nairobi ahead of the planned burial on Saturday, April 8.

The emotional memorial service was attended by family, friends and colleagues.

Jerop’s boyfriend is among three people in police custody after they were arrested in Landmawe area on March 24, police said.

Detectives investigating the murder case say the main suspect picked the deceased from her Liberty Gardens apartment in South B on March 19.

They were captured on CCTV cameras in Imara Daima, then in Mlolongo area before the deceased went missing without a trace.

She had spoken with her sister a day before she went missing, investigators say.

On the same day, Jerop is reported to have been murdered, the main suspect Wafula travelled more than 400 kilometers away from the murder scene to Bungoma County, dumping his Mercedes Benz car before returning to Nairobi on March 24 using public transport.

The car was last week brought to Nairobi for forensic examination and is likely to be used as an exhibit, police say.

It is believed that the suspect used the vehicle to ferry and dispose of Jerop's body near Jamhuri Primary School.

The motive of the incident is believed to be a motive deal gone sour. He was arrested upon arrival together with his two accomplices.

Police had sought more days to hold the suspects as investigators go on with their probe.

Makadara OCPD Judith Nyongesa said they were all arraigned on March 27 and police successfully sought orders through miscellaneous applications to detain them for 14 more days.

The family of the deceased has called on the police to fast-track the investigations and bring her killers to book.

Jerop was laid to rest on Saturday in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County amid calls for justice.