64-year-old man strangled to death over Ksh.50 debt

A 42-year-old man is being held at Yala Police Station for allegedly killing his friend over Ksh.50 debt at Ndegwe Village in Siaya County on Tuesday night.

Charles Otieno Ogutu was nabbed by angry residents who had threatened to lynch him after he allegedly strangled to death 64-year-old Peter Okumu Awinja.

According to North West Gem location Chief Barrack Opondo, the deceased had reportedly sold timber and was paid Ksh.1,200.

The suspect is then said to have invited Ogutu, who is his close friend, for a drink at a busaa den in the nearby Sirembe trading center.

The administrator stated that the duo spent Ksh.200 at the drinking den before they moved to another joint within the village where they found no alcohol on sale.

Speaking to Radio Ramogi, Mr. Opondo added that the suspect then turned against the elderly man claiming the deceased owed him Ksh.50 which he demanded to be paid there and then.

Opondo noted that the deceased, who by then had a Ksh.1, 000 note, informed Ogutu that he did not have loose money, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

The suspect, now irritated, grabbed the deceased’s neck and strangled him to death.

The accused’s action irked members of the public who pounced on him with kicks and blows before handing him over to the police.

The deceased’s body was moved to Yala Sub-county Hospital Mortuary as investigations into the matter continue.