Police have identified the man who invaded Deputy President William Ruto’s Sugoi home last Saturday leading to an 18-hour battle with elite GSU Recce squad.
Ndegwa Muhoro, Directorate of Criminal Investigation boss revealed the identity of the lone gunman as Mohammed Ibrahim Muhammad from Dandu village, Mandera East sub-county.
Muhammad has been hawking different wares in Eldoret.
“The attacker has been doing business in Eldoret Town and we can confirm that he was alone in this raid,” said the DCI boss in Eldoret.
His body is still lying at the Moi Referral Hospital in Eldoret. Police have taken his fingerprints to establish if he has previous criminal record.
Daily Nation reports that the assailant had a cordial relationship with police officers guarding Ruto’s home in Sugoi.
He would sell them clothes, watches, and perfume on credit.
Eldoret West police boss Samuel Mutunga said Muhammad was well known to the officer whom he slashed with a machete.
Muhammad popularly known as Omar among residents is reported to have had his base at Turbo and Jua kali areas of Eldoret.
Residents said though he was sociable, little was known about him.
“We do not know a lot about him but Omar had been here for just two months but made a lot of friends including security agents,” a resident of the area told the Nation.
Another one said he always sold his wares on credit.
Muslim clerics in the region said they had little information about the assailant.
“All we know is that he was a Muslim. We had not interacted for long,” said Abubakar Bini, Chair Council of Imams and Preachers in North Rift.
He is reported to have duped an officer at the gate into being allowed into the compound.
He told the officer to let him have his mid-day prayers at a makeshift mosque in the compound.
He was allowed in but an argument between him and the officer ensued after a short while when he attacked him with the machete.