Woman’s escape from jaws of death

A young woman came within minutes of falling victim to a serial killer after he lured her to his house with a promise to buy drugs for her sick father.

Had it not been for an opportune knock at the window of the killer’s house, Ms Immaculate Apondi, 20, would have been another victim of the man now known as the Kisumu serial killer.

According to Ms Apondi, she met at a barber shop in Rabuor estate, Kisumu County and immediately struck a rapport.

Ms Apondi, who did not wish to have her photograph published because of family concerns, said she had taken her son for a hair cut when she met Mr Harrison Okumu, the man police want to interview in connection with six bodies found in a compound in Ahero, Kisumu County.

“He was soft spoken and appeared to have great promise,” she said. “We immediately got into a conversation and he asked for my number so he could call me later,” she said.

As she had no phone, she gave him directions to her house.

The next day he visited but she was not at home. “I had visited my sister in Eldoret and he left a message with my sick father asking me to see him at the barber shop.

“On the fourth day, he returned with an offer to buy medicine for my father,” she said.

“He tricked me to meet him to collect the cash for the drugs. He sent a motorcycle taxi to pick me at home. I found him standing in front of a shop with two sodas and four doughnuts,” Ms Apondi said.

The man suggested they go to his house, drink the soda then go to town for the medicine. “As soon as we were in the house, he told me to be calm, assuring me my father would be fine as he would pay for his medication. As it was becoming late, I told him I wanted to check on my father but was shocked when he suddenly went berserk and slapped me,” she said.

“I threatened to scream to attract the neighbours and when he realised I was determined to escape, he hit me on the knees with a plank to immobilise me,’ Ms Apondi said.

“He then ordered me to drag out a box under his bed. I was terrified when I saw it had a polythene bag with the head of a girl in it. He removed the head and placed it on his bed then showed me three sharp knives he said he would use to cut me up,” she said.

“He ordered me to strip naked, kneel and say my last prayers. At that very moment there was a knock at the window. It was his mother calling him to eat. When he went to the window, I crawled to the door and dashed to neighbour’s house, Ms Apondi said.

“He gave chase but thank God the neighbour’s door was open and I rushed in and he did not follow me,” she said.