DCI Officer Sentenced To 5 Years In Jail For Kidnapping Two Ethiopians

A Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officer has been sentenced to 5 years behind bars or a Sh1.1 million fine for three offenses.

Previously based at Nairobi’s Criminal Investigation office, Inspector Painito Bera was on Monday charged with three offences of kidnapping, abuse of office and giving false information to a person employed in the public service.

The charges were in connection with a 2014 incident. Then, Bera was accused of kidnapping two Ethiopians (Ali Ahmed Hussein and Sulub Abdi Ahmed) granted political asylum in Kenya.

A Directorate of Criminal Investigations detective formerly based at Nairobi's Criminal Investigation office has today been sentenced to 5 years or alternatively pay a fine of Ksh 1.1 million for three offenses.

— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) November 16, 2020

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Ali and Sulub were negotiators for the ONLF in the talks being brokered by the Kenyan government.

The foreigners; members of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), fighting for independence for the Somali-speaking Ogaden region, are said to have been driven to the Ethiopian border and handing them over to authorities.

He was charged alongside; Police Constable James Sipiti, Billow Ali and Hasaan Aden who were acquitted of all charges under section 215 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

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Handing down the sentence, Milimani court chief magistrate Francis Andayi, said the accused made the situation worse by lying about his official ranking.

Bera is said to have told Inspector Jared Gachaba, the deputy Officer Commanding Moyale Police Station, that he was the new DCIO posted to Moyale so as to bypass a police check at the Odda Police Barrier.

“You will serve a total of 60 months in prison if you fail to raise the Sh1.1million in fine,” Mr Andayi said.

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