The Rongo Magistrate’s Court has granted an application by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to exhume the body of a General Service Unit (GSU) officer.

According to a statement by ODPP on Tuesday, August 12, the officer was secretly buried on March 28, 2025, within the compound of St. Joseph’s Missions of Messiah in Africa Church, Rongo Sub-County, Migori County.

Police Constable Adan Ayoo is reported to have died under unclear circumstances on March 27, 2025, and was allegedly buried without the knowledge or consent of his family or employer.

The church’s directors — Michael Kus Onyango, Luka Ochieng, Everline Gemamo, and Lilian Atieno Olal — have been released on bond pending investigations into the officer’s suspected murder.

In a separate ruling on an application by Ayoo’s family, the court directed the officer’s widow to identify the exact burial site within the church compound to facilitate the exhumation by the Migori County Public Health Officer.

The court further instructed the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) at Kamagambo Police Station to provide security during the exercise.

Following the exhumation, the remains are to be reburied at the family’s homestead in Kochieng, Nyando Sub-County, Kisumu County, per Luo customary law. The matter is scheduled for mention on August 26, 2025, for further directions.

The latest ruling comes less than a month after the court issued arrest warrants for the four church directors over claims they failed to appear for court proceedings.

The warrants had been issued following an earlier order to detain them for 21 days as investigations into the officer’s death continued.

However, the suspects successfully contested the detention order in a different court within the same county, leading to their release on bail.

During initial investigations, the ODPP sought permission to exhume the officer’s body for further examination, while the family continues to demand justice.