KISUMU, Kenya — Police in Kisumu East have arrested four men in connection with the theft of a firearm from a police officer during the funeral proceedings of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga last Sunday in Bondo, Siaya County.
The suspects were apprehended on Saturday afternoon at a hideout located in the Mbeme area of Kisumu East.
According to an official report recorded under OB No. 15/25/10/2025 at 13:30 hours, police officers acting on a tip-off from a reliable source launched a swift operation targeting a rental house in Mbeme area, about four kilometers northwest of Kasagam Police Station.
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The raid was executed by the OC Crime Kasagam alongside the undercover unit following intelligence that a gang of young men was in possession of a firearm.
The operation successfully led to the recovery of the weapon.
The recovered firearm, a loaded Jericho pistol, was reportedly snatched from Police Constable Benson Kodia.
PC Kodia, an officer attached to the Kakamega Governor, was escorting the county boss to his vehicle when the theft occurred amid the crowds at the Bondo burial site.
Upon storming the premises, officers found the main suspect, Timothy Odhiambo, aged 19, in the company of four others identified as David Beckham Odhiambo (20), Tony Blair Omondi (16), and Harun Ibrahim (17). The suspects were arrested on the spot after a thorough search of the house yielded no recovery.
Following intense interrogation, the prime suspect, Timothy Odhiambo, led the police to his mother’s residence, located approximately 400 meters from his own rental house. Officers broke into the locked house after obtaining access by cutting through the padlock.
“The suspects were subjected to precise interogation and the main suspect, Timothy Odhiambo, led police officers to another house of his mother,” read part of the report.
Inside the kitchen ceiling, the police made a major breakthrough — recovering one Jericho pistol, serial number 40309458, loaded with a magazine containing 14 rounds of ammunition.
The suspect’s mother, Lilian Atieno Nyabende, was also arrested to assist police with investigations after the weapon was found in her home.
Preliminary investigations have confirmed that the recovered firearm matches the one reported stolen from Police Constable Benson Kodiah Olayo, a GSU officer attached to VIP Protection of Governor Fernandes Barasa, during the burial of the late Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga in Bondo on October 19, 2025, as recorded under Bondo Police Station OB No. 47/19/10/2025 at 17:00 hours.
The four suspects are currently being held in police custody for intensive interrogation and are expected to be arraigned in court once the police conclude their investigations.
