Chilling encounter with the Tarime serial killer

Tarime. Local residents who have come face to face with the gunman who has killed eight people in Tarime district have recounted their chilling encounters with the lone killer, describing him as thin and tall.

According to the witnesses, the assailant spoke in Kiswahili and the Kurya language, suggesting that he may be a local resident and not a foreigner as earlier reports suggested.

The gunman wore a long dark coat and a woollen hood that covered his head and face. Those who have seen him told The Citizen yesterday they did not establish eye contact with him, which may well be why they are still alive today. The assailant is believed to have shot some of his victims at close range, fearing they could identify him. The senseless killings since last week sent shockwaves across the country and have sparked a massive manhunt by a team of police, including those dispatched on Tuesday from Dar es Salaam.

One of the survivors, 24-year-old Gabson Nyaitara, said he was lucky to be alive considering that he had dared the gunman to identify himself during their encounter on Monday.

He recalled: “I was on my way home when there was a loud bhang in the direction I was heading. I could not tell if the sound was that of a gunshot but I sensed trouble and rushed to get away. But that would not be as I soon ran into the killer.

“He was hiding in the bush. As I approached, he flashed a powerful torch and ordered me to keep quiet and raise my hands. “And who are you?” I asked. The man was incensed and drew a gun, swearing to shoot if I continued to argue with him.”

According to Mr Nyaitara, he promptly obeyed and avoided eye contact. The attacker then ordered him to hand over all he had. “I gave him a watch, a mobile phone and Sh20,000. Afterwards, he told me to run home and not raise the alarm.” Before setting him free, the gunman threatened him some more: “I know you and will come to your house and kill all your family should you not comply.”

The attacker spoke Kiswahili and the Kurya language all the time.

As Mr Nyaitara ran home, he came across a neighbour, Juma Marwa, slumped beside his motorcycle. He added: “More people who heard the earlier shot were racing to the scene. The bodaboda operator had been shot in the head from behind and was dead. I realised how lucky I was to have escaped unscathed. The gunman seems to have no apparent motive to kill or target anyone in particular. All those who have been killed met him on the road at night.”

Magoko Marwa, the younger brother of the bodaboda rider who was killed, said they initially assumed the first gunshot was just the usual antics of a neighbour who has a gun and often fires it at night. But the sound was louder than usual and they decided to go out and establish what was happening, only to find the body of their kin.

“My brother was killed a few metres from his house and it seems that the killer took away his mobile phone and the money he had,” he added. The dead man is survived by a wife, two daughters and two sons.

Mr Masero Marigiri of Mlima Chambiri had an almost similar tale. He met the assailant as he walked home on the same day. He appeared out of the blue and ordered Mr Marigiri to sit down and keep quiet.

Like Nyaitara, he was ordered to hand over all the valuables he had. The 30-year-old added: “I obliged and gave him my mobile phone and Sh11,000. He also took away a small paper bag in which I carried biscuits and tomatoes. After that, he told me to get up and run fast without looking back, which I did. When I heard of the other killings, I knew how lucky I had been.”

The gunman wore a long black jacket.

At Kebomaye village, where cousins David Matiko and Sammy Magori were gunned down, survivor Machugu Nyamahemba said the gunman ambushed them at 11pm as he and a companion called Abalbert Baigwa were repairing a car that had broken down. He added: “The killer emerged from a nearby banana plantation and ordered us to stand still. Without uttering another word, he fired three quick bullets, one of which caught me in the right hand as I took off at high speed. I do not know how the two victims died but I remember one of them was running behind me.”

According to Mr Baigwa, his fellow mechanic escaped by hiding in the back of the car--which the gunman did not inspect. Matiko was a self-employed engineer who had recently started a construction company. He and his cousin had called the mechanics to come repair their car, which broke down at 8pm. Mr Baigwa sought refuge at a home nearby but the scared occupants refused to let him in and raised the alarm instead. “I just sat down, fearing the public responding to the wailing would mistake me for a thief and lynch me,” he said. “Luckily, the police came an hour later and took me to hospital.”