Nakuru taxi driver found killed on roadside, car stolen
Nakuru taxi driver Didmus Bitange who was found murdered on January 17, 2019 and his body dumped along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway after he went missing on Tuesday. His body was discovered in a bush in Sobea in Rongai Sub-County. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Following the Tuesday night incident, there is panic and anxiety among taxi drivers in Nakuru town.
- Mr Bitange was on Tuesday night hired by an identified woman who requested to be taken to Kabarak.
- Police sources revealed that the body had bruises and a rope was tied around the neck.
A taxi driver has been brutally murdered in Nakuru and his body dumped along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway as the thugs made away with his brand new Toyota Premio car.
Mr Didmus Bitange’s body was found near Green Park restaurant in Rongai Sub-County.
Workers at the restaurant discovered the body in a nearby bush.
Following the Tuesday night incident, there is panic and anxiety among taxi drivers in Nakuru town due to fears that there could be a killer gang on the loose in the region.
HIRED
According to a colleague interviewed by the Nation, Mr Bitange was on Tuesday night hired by an identified woman who requested to be taken to Kabarak.
But he went missing after the trip and could not be reached as his phone was switched off.
“His phone was switched off forcing us and his family to begin a search. His body was discovered on Thursday in a bush on the roadside at Sobea,” said a colleague.
“The woman was first seen strolling at the parking bay along Kenyatta Avenue near a petrol station for about 10 minutes before she hired the vehicle,” said another colleague of the slain driver.
BRUISES
Police sources revealed that the body had bruises and a rope was tied around the neck indicating that he may have been strangled by his assailants.
“His hands and legs were also tied. The bruises on his body indicate that there could have been a struggle between the deceased and his killers,” said a police officer who was among those who collected the body from the scene.
Rongai Police Boss Japhet Kioko confirmed the incident and said police have launched investigations into the matter to establish circumstances surrounding the bizarre murder.
NO ARRESTS
“Detectives are piecing together information to arrest the perpetrators. So far nobody has been apprehended but police are looking for a woman who was last seen with the deceased,” said the police boss.
His disappearance was reported to the Nakuru Central Police Station and Menengai Police Station before his body was found.
On Thursday evening, taxi drivers in the town protested over insecurity, asking the police to speed up investigations and arrest their colleague’s killers.
“We call upon the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to arrest Mr Bitange’s killers,” said Mr John Nduati, a taxi driver.
