Speaking on Monday during a Special Council Meeting of the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ), Koome emphasized the urgent need for public cooperation, coordinated enforcement, and respect for the law to curb road carnage.

“Do not pay any bribe when arrested. There will be heightened monitoring of human rights violations,” Justice Koome said, highlighting that enforcement agencies will closely watch operations to ensure accountability and protect citizens’ rights.

The Chief Justice highlighted that risky road behaviour, particularly speeding, tends to spike during holiday travel.

“We note the risky road behaviour which includes speeding, and we were asking one another if, when going for celebrations during this season, we forget that where we are going, whether it is to celebrate in our rural homes or wherever, those destinations do not move, so that we speed away,” she said.

The warning comes amid a worrying rise in road traffic deaths, from 4,479 in 2024 to 4,682 in 2025, a 5% increase, as authorities anticipate heavier traffic, congestion, and a spike in accidents during the holiday season.

“Risky behaviour such as speeding, fatigue, overlapping, and drunk driving continues to claim lives unnecessarily. Most victims are often innocent pedestrians or motorists,” Koome added.

Koome called for collaboration across the justice system and among road users, stressing that public awareness and coordinated enforcement were critical to saving lives.

“We are asking for collaboration and awareness about our own safety when we set out for the festivities. For seamless coordination, we need to work together—all of us in the justice system,” she said.

The NCAJ, which brings together the National Police Service, ODPP, Judiciary, NTSA, Kenya Prisons Service, EACC, LSK, and other agencies, has outlined a comprehensive multi-agency plan to enhance road safety.

Central to this initiative is the deployment of mobile traffic courts that will operate on both physical and digital platforms to fast-track cases during the festive period.

“Those charged will quickly get in touch with their lawyers through this system,” Koome noted.

Authorities will also increase roadblocks and inspections for vehicles and motorbikes, particularly along high-risk corridors, to ensure compliance with roadworthiness standards.

Motorists are being warned against overlapping, speeding, and drunk driving, while the public is urged to report violations and emergencies via toll-free numbers 999, 911, and 112.

Justice Koome stressed that road safety is a collective responsibility.

“No single agency can address road carnage alone. We must collaborate as the justice system, civil society, and the public to save lives. Enforcement, public awareness, and coordination are critical,” she said.

The Chief Justice outlined that authorities will roll out diverse measures to enhance road safety and prevent traffic-related deaths, noting that many victims are often innocent pedestrians or motorists.

“We must put in place elaborate and diverse measures to enhance road safety and prevent traffic-related deaths. Most of the time, people are innocent, either as pedestrians or drivers and someone else causes the accident,” she said.

A key initiative is the deployment of mobile traffic courts, using both physical and digital platforms to fast-track traffic cases during the festive period.

“We will deploy mobile traffic courts using physical and digital means, with close collaboration. We will share this so that those who are charged can quickly get in touch with their lawyers,” Koome said.

The council also announced that EACC officers will be deployed along major highways to deter corruption, ensuring that no driver is tempted to offer a bribe, and that human rights violations are closely monitored.

Additionally, health agencies will provide standby ambulances for rapid response to accidents.

“The festive season is a time of celebration, but it should not be a time of tragedy on our roads. By following traffic rules, refusing to engage in corruption, and looking out for one another, Kenyans can reduce accidents, save lives, and ensure safer travel,” Koome concluded.

The NCAJ’s communiqué underlines that addressing road safety is a shared responsibility, reaffirming that legal, policy, and administrative reforms, alongside public cooperation, are essential to prevent traffic-related deaths and injuries during the festive season and beyond.

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In a statement issued on Wednesday, the DCI identified the suspect as Wycliffe Otieno Odero, who is wanted in connection with what detectives have described as “one of the most disturbing domestic murder cases in recent months.”

“We are appealing to members of the public to provide any information that may lead to the arrest of 28-year-old Wycliffe Otieno Odero, whose photograph appears below,” the DCI said.

“The suspect is wanted for the brutal murder of his wife and two children in Yare area of Samburu Central Sub-County.”

According to investigators, the suspect, who worked as a casual labourer in Maralal town, lived with his wife, Ann Njeri Atheera, and their two daughters, Natalia Nyambura (6) and Tyra Jones (4), in a rented house along the Maralal–Nyahururu road.

Preliminary findings indicate that on the fateful night, Odero arrived home visibly drunk and engaged in a heated argument with his wife over an undisclosed domestic issue.

“In a fit of rage, the suspect is believed to have attacked his wife with a kitchen knife, inflicting multiple stab wounds that led to her death,” a detective attached to the DCI Maralal office told reporters.

“He then turned the weapon on his two daughters, who were asleep, and slit their throats before fleeing into the night.”

Neighbours who heard commotion inside the house said they initially thought it was a minor quarrel.

“We heard shouting and crying, but it stopped suddenly,” said a neighbour, Mary Lekishon.

“When we went to check in the morning, the door was locked from outside. That’s when we suspected something terrible had happened.”

Police officers who responded to the scene were met with a gruesome sight.

The bodies of the woman and her children lay in pools of blood on the bedroom floor.

“It was a heartbreaking scene,” said Samburu Central Sub-County Police Commander, Peter Mwangi.

“Even our most experienced officers were deeply shaken. No child deserves to die in such a brutal manner.”

A manhunt was immediately launched, but Odero managed to evade capture. Detectives have since extended the search to neighbouring counties, including Laikipia, Baringo, and Nakuru, amid fears that the suspect might have sought refuge with relatives or friends.

The DCI has circulated Odero’s photograph and urged anyone with information regarding his whereabouts to report immediately to the nearest police station.

“Members of the public are warned that the suspect is dangerous and may be armed,” the agency cautioned. “Do not attempt to apprehend him yourself. Instead, alert law enforcement authorities immediately.”

The killings have sparked outrage and sorrow across the region, with leaders and residents condemning the rise in domestic-related violence.

The post DCI Launches Manhunt for Man Accused of Killing Wife and Two Children in Samburu appeared first on Insider Bits News.

Sheria Mtaani na Shadrack Wambui, a civil society organization, filed the constitutional petition at the Milimani High Court, challenging the Inspector General’s authority over payroll management in the National Police Service.

Through lawyer Danstan Omari, the group argues that payroll functions fall under the constitutional mandate of the National Police Service Commission (NPSC), not the office of the Inspector General (IG), which is limited to operational command.

“This petition is about constitutional accountability,” Omari told the court.

“The IG cannot be allowed to usurp human resource powers through payroll control. That function belongs to the Commission, as clearly provided under Article 246 of the Constitution.”

The petition, which has been certified as urgent, warns that allowing recruitment to proceed under a disputed payroll regime could entrench unconstitutional practices.

“Payroll is not just about salaries. It reflects promotions, transfers, suspensions, and disciplinary actions,” the petition states.

“Allowing the Inspector General to run it undermines transparency and removes civilian oversight.”

According to the lobby group, the timing of the recruitment makes the case especially critical.

They argue that once the 10,000 new recruits are entered into the payroll system, any ruling by the court may become ineffectual.

“If this court does not intervene now, the process will be irreversible,” said Omari. “You cannot recall appointments and payroll entries once they have been activated under an unlawful system.”

The respondents in the case include the Inspector General of Police, the National Police Service, and the Attorney General.

The National Police Service Commission and the Law Society of Kenya have been named as interested parties.

Court records show that all parties were served with the petition on August 14, 2025, but none had filed a response by the time of the court’s preliminary hearing.

“The silence from the respondents only deepens the urgency of this matter,” Omari submitted.

“We urge the court to issue conservatory orders stopping the recruitment pending full determination of this petition.”

The group wants the court to hear the matter during recess, warning that any delay could lead to “constitutional violations being cemented.”

The lobby insists that payroll is a core element of police human resource management and that placing it under the operational command of the IG would create a conflict of interest and weaken institutional checks and balances.

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