Former Rugby Star Alex Olaba Arrested for Attempting to Murder Witness in Rape Case

Former Kenya rugby 7s star Alex Olaba has been arrested for allegedly attempting to murder a witness in a rape case he is facing.

Olaba was apprehended in Nairobi West on Thursday after meeting an undercover detective planning the said murder.

Police say Olaba, who is facing rape charges alongside his former teammate Frank Wanyama, was planning to eliminate the witness in a bid to defeat justice.

A forensic analysis will be done on the two mobile phones recovered from the suspect during the arrest to establish whether there were more players in the crime.

Olaba is said to have approached another party seeking ways of killing the witness before police were informed.

Undercover detectives posing as executors of his mission were sent before they pounced on him. Upon his arrest, Olaba allegedly told police that he was possessed by satanic spirits.

He is set to be arraigned in court to face charges of attempted murder and conspiracy to defeat justice.

In July last year, the High Court in Nairobi quashed the sentencing of Olaba and Wanyama and ordered a retrial in a lower court.

The two had each been sentenced to 15 years in prison in August 2019 after they were found guilty of gang rape.

High Court Justice Grace Macharia ruled that existing records did not show whether one of the prosecution witnesses was sworn in or not.

Wanyama, 23, and Olaba, 24, had been sentenced by Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku, who ruled that the victim was traumatized by the rape incident. 

The two are accused of gang-raping the woman, a musician, at Seefar Apartments in Nairobi on February 10th, 2019. 

In a statement recorded with the police, the victim said that on the fateful day, which was her birthday, she attended a party in Nairobi’s Kilimani area where the two rugby players were present.

She said one of the two players was her friend and after a night of merry-making, she went with them to their house.

She claimed the two took advantage of her intoxicated state and raped her repeatedly after refusing to take no for an answer. She got pregnant after the incident.

The two were charged afresh and were released on Sh300,000 cash bail each after denying the charges.