NAIROBI, Kenya- A man wanted over the 2024 murder of Ohangla dancer Sheila Odoyo has been arrested in Tanzania after a two-year search, Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) says.
The suspect, identified by the DCI as Jackson Otieno Bambo, also known as James Babu Olang, is Odoyo’s husband.
Detectives located him in Kirongwe, Shirati District, where he was reportedly operating a club about 70 kilometres from the Muhuru border point.
The DCI said detectives from Athi River worked with officers from Nyatike and Tanzanian law enforcement in the operation.
After his arrest, Bambo was taken to Nyatike Police Station and then escorted to Athi River Police Station, where he is being held pending arraignment on a murder charge.
The DCI said the suspect had a Tanzanian national identity card bearing the name James Babu Olang when he was arrested.
The agency said the document is part of the ongoing investigation but did not provide further details about how or when it was obtained.
A two-year search
Odoyo was found dead in her home in Athi River on May 9, 2024.
She was known in the music and entertainment scene as Sheila Wegesha.
Her death prompted police to launch investigations and search for Bambo, who was identified by investigators as a suspect.
In the days after the killing, police said Bambo had left the home in a Mitsubishi Outlander.
Detectives traced the vehicle to a parking area in Nairobi’s central business district, where it had been left with its keys and bags inside.
Investigators later reported that his phone signal was last detected in Narok before the device was switched off. T
hese details formed part of the early search, but police did not say whether they directly led to his location in Tanzania.
The arrest now allows investigators to question Bambo in custody and continue gathering evidence.
Cross-border cooperation
The arrest involved coordination between Kenyan detectives and Tanzanian law enforcement.
The DCI said intelligence placed the suspect in Shirati, in Tanzania, before officers mounted the operation.
The case also highlights the practical challenges in pursuing suspects believed to have crossed national borders.
Investigators relied on cooperation between agencies in the two countries to locate and arrest the suspect, then transfer him to Kenya for processing.
The suspect is expected to be brought before a Kenyan court to answer to the murder charge.
