From abduction, torture and money withdrawal: Inside Willis Ayieko's murder plot

Willis Ayieko, the human resources director at Wells Fargo, died a painful death. His killers first tortured him for several hours before callously snuffing out his life, and then dumped the body at a stream in Yala, Siaya County, on October 23, 2024. 

One year later, details are emerging how Ayieko met his death as he attended the funeral of a relative of one of his close friends. 

From independent investigations collaborated by court testimonies, The Nairobian can reveal Ayieko’s last moments, how his murder was planned and executed.

The man was first abducted as he drove out of his friend’s home after attending a night vigil and taken to a mud-walled house several kilometres away in Khwisero, Kakamega County where the captors tormented him as they withdrew money from his Mpesa and bank accounts. 

His body would later be found floating in Nyamboga stream six days after he went missing. He was handcuffed and the body bore hallmarks of torture.

Ayieko left Nairobi on October 18, 2024 to attend the night vigil for his friend’s late mother. At the time, he had instructed a driver to wait for him at Kisumu Airport where he would later pick the car upon landing.

As planned, the slain manager landed at 2:45pm before heading to Nyamninia village where he arrived at 3:56pm on the same day.

Details in our possession indicate that he was received by a longtime friend and joined four other people in the homestead where two armed police officers were providing security.

Here, they stayed until 9:50pm. Ayieko then left the night vigil in Gem for his rural home in Alego, still in Siaya County, driving his Ford Ranger double cabin car.

Ayieko was to attend another event in Kakamega the following day, the Saturday of October 19, 2024. That never materialised.

According to the motor vehicle track record, Ayieko’s car was ignited at 9:52pm. The vehicle stopped barely two minutes after leaving the homestead where the night vigil was being held, at 9:54pm.

This is the moment investigators believe Ayieko was abducted by his captors. A string of investigations would later reveal Ayieko’s abduction had been planned and the planners trailed his movements.

This is according to a confession by a boda boda rider (name withheld), who admitted to being paid Sh10,000 to assist in the abduction and murder of the Wells Fargo boss.

In his own words, the rider claimed that he was contacted by Victor Otieno alias Sisco, the main suspect in Ayieko’s murder who is currently in custody.

The rider detailed that they met in a club at Mutumbu trading centre to plan on how to kill Ayieko. All this time, Ayieko was still alive attending the night vigil.

After the meeting had been firmed up on how to execute Ayieko’s murder, the squad left Mutumbu on two motorbikes to Nyamninia village where they would pick Ayieko.

Upon arrival at the scene of abduction, Robert Wakolo Okoth alias Champee and Otieno, who are brothers, alighted from their respective motorbikes and moved into the darkness holding bags. They came back dressed in military uniforms while armed with rifles.

According to the rider who confessed to have been involved in the execution of the killing, Champee was armed with an AK47 rifle fitted with a bayonet while Sisco was armed with a shotgun.

The confession details how Champee and Sisco left the rider and walked into the homestead where Ayieko was. Shortly after Ayieko had ignited his car, the brothers are said to have ambushed him.

Champee allegedly took over the car, driving to where the two riders were and signalled them to trail the Ford Ranger.

According to the car tracking record, the vehicle made several turns on the rough road. Before making its way to the Busia-Kisumu highway.

Ayieko’s abduction took another harrowing twist on the same night of Friday October 18, 2024 when the killers are said to have made their way to the homestead of Duncun Ochieng Obongo alias Otuchi at Lwanda village in Khwisero where Ayieko is alleged to have been tortured as his accounts were swept clean.

All this time, the manager was said to have been handcuffed and blindfolded.

At one point, Sisco left with Ayieko’s Samsung phone and headed to Kisumu, leaving Champee and the other accomplices at the homestead. 

While in Kisumu, Sisco made numerous withdrawals from various Mpesa shops using Ayieko’s mobile phone and ID.Details indicate that the late manager had two safaricom lines and six bank accounts with different banks. From our analysis, it is only the I&M bank account that was active.

That night, Sh1.1 million was transferred to an Mpesa account belonging to the victim before being withdrawn immediately. The first batch was withdrawn on October 19, 2024, some 36 minutes past midnight.

Prior to the ordeal, Ayieko had a balance of Sh63,463 in his Mpesa wallet. All this amount was withdrawn by his killers. The suspects then withdrew a fuliza overdraft of Sh36,000.

Some villagers in Khwisero recount having heard cries from the house where Ayieko had been held captive but did not suspect something serious, only to realise later after Otuchi was arrested in connection with the murder. 

One of the witnesses who spoke to The Nairobian claimed that they heard Ayieko calling for help but upon rushing to help him, they were blocked by Otuchi who claimed the man making noise was his drunk friend.

It has emerged that Ayieko was not killed immediately. He spent some days being held and tortured inside this house.

Details reveal that, after ending his life, Ayieko’s killers attempted to use avocado branches to to carry his body but they could not manage, forcing them to drag him down the slope of Nyamboga stream.

Six days after the manager was reported missing, a Form Three student at a local school stumbled on an unknown body floating in the stream on the border of Gem and Kwisero constituencies before informing the area chief.

This turned out to be Ayieko’s body.

His widow Esther Awuor painted a harrowing experience that he underwent in the hands of the abductors.

At the stream where the body was discovered, Ayieko’s hands were tied using his trousers and he was also handcuffed. 

According to Awuor, the husband’s life had never been threatened before and her family still wonders who wanted him dead.

A day after Ayieko was abducted, The Nairobian has learnt, two men were seen on CCTV driving his vehicle at 6:05pm before abandoning it at a petrol station along the Sabatia – Ekero road in Kakamega county.

Damning call data shed light on how Ayieko’s killers went to extreme lengths to cover their tracks. Not only did they avoid using their real identities, but they also exploited proxies’ identification cards to register phone lines, ensuring their anonymity during the brutal murder.

At the time, Sisco, the prime suspect, was operating using a mobile number registered under his late sister’s name.

Champee’s mobile phone was intermittently switched on and off during the hours leading up to the killing. He abruptly turned off his phone again the moment Ayieko’s body was discovered.

Investigators traced a continuous exchange of calls between Sisco and Champee as Ayieko’s Samsung phone was being used in Kisumu, placing them right in the heart of the unfolding crime.

Even more incriminating, the phone numbers belonging to Sisco and Champee were detected at the very location where Ayieko’s car was abandoned after his abduction.

Sisco’s mobile signal was also traced where large withdrawals were being made using Ayieko’s phone in Kisumu.