The Office of Director of Public Prosecution approved fresh murder charges against 15 officers from the disbanded Special Services Unit (SSU) for the disappearance of two Indians and their Kenyan taxi driver.
This is a new twist in the case that is dragging in court amid protests from the accused persons. They were first charged with the abduction of the Indians accused of trying to interfere with 2022 polls.
They have since been detained at Kiambu prisons without an option of bail.
The case which had commenced its trial at Kahawa Law Court will now move to Kiambu High Court where the accused persons will be charged afresh with murder.
The 15 are accused of the abduction and disappearance of two Indian nationals; Zulfiqar Ahmed Khan and Mohammed Zaid Sami, and their taxi driver Nicodemus Mwania Mwange on diverse dates between July 22 and July 23, 2022, at Nairobi County.
The bodies of the victims have not been found.
The officers drawn from different units in the security and intelligence sector include Peter Muthee Gachiku, James Kibosek Tanuki, Joseph Kamau Mbugua, David Chepchieng Kipsoi, Joseph Mwenda Mbaya, John Mwangi Kamau, Hillary Limo Kipchumba, Stephen Luseno Matunda, Simon Muhuga Gikonyo, Paul Njogu Muriithi, Boniface Otieno Mtulla, Elikana Njeru Mugendi, and Fredrick Thuku Kamau.
Others are John Wanjiku Macharia and Michael Kiplangat Bett.
During the hearing in March this year, the first witness told the court that the accused were placed at the scene of the crime.
Officer Kennedy Ndeto, who is part of the investigations teams and works with the Internal Affairs Unit, told Kahawa Law Courts Principal Magistrate Gideon Kiage that the accused persons were tracked from Mombasa Road to Aberdares Forest.
At the witness dock, Ndeto told the court that the tracking logs of the vehicle allegedly used by the accused persons showed that they entered Aberdares National Park through the treetops gate at 6:34 pm.
The investigating team tracked the same from the Old Nairobi area where the disbanded SSU offices were located and followed them to Aberdares.
“We established that the vehicles travelled up to the Aberdares forest,” he said.
Ndeto also said they accessed the call data records of the accused persons which placed them in different areas of interest including the SSU Offices at Old Nairobi area, along the Nairobi- Nyeri road specifically at Muiga in Nyeri to Aberdares National Park.
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