Editor's Review

The Rongo Magistrate Court has granted an application by the ODPP to exhume the body of a GSU officer mysteriously buried within a church compound in Migori County.

The Rongo Magistrate Court has granted an application by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to exhume the body of a GSU officer who was buried under mysterious circumstances within a church compound in Migori County.

In a statement on Tuesday, August 12, the ODPP said the court heard that the officer, identified as Police Constable Adan Ayoo, was buried on March 28, 2025, inside the compound of St. Joseph’s Missions of Messiah in Africa Church, Rongo Sub-County, without the consent of his family or employer.

"It is alleged that the officer, Police Constable Adan Ayoo, died under unclear circumstances on 27th March 2025 and was buried without the knowledge or consent of his parents or employer," the statement read.

The ODPP confirmed that four directors of the church, namely Michael Kus Onyango, Luka Ochieng, Everline Gemamo, and Lilian Atieno Olal, are out on bond as investigations into Ayoo’s suspected murder continue.

"The directors of St. Joseph’s Missions of Messiah in Africa church, Michael Kus Onyango, Luka Ochieng, Everline Gemamo, and Lilian Atieno Olal, were released on bond pending the investigations of the murder of Ayoo," the statement added.

File image of the church directors

In a separate ruling, the ODPP said the court also directed Ayoo’s wife to pinpoint the exact burial site within the church grounds to allow for the exhumation process.

"The court ordered the OCS Kamagambo police station to provide security during the exhumation, and upon the exhumation of the remains of the deceased, they shall be reinterred at the Plaintiff’s homestead located at Kochieng Nyando Sub-County in Kisumu County, as per the Luo customary law," the statement further read.

The exhumation will be carried out by the County Public Health Officer, after which the remains will be reburied at Ayoo’s family home. 

The case will be mentioned on Tuesday, August 26, for further directions.