Interdicted policeman arrested attempting to release a bhang trafficker in Machakos
A police officer who stole and later sold confiscated liquor at Kiamaciri police station that killed 17 people last year has been arrested again for bribing a senior police officer to release a bhang trafficker.
Constable Allan Kyalo Kimanzi who is under interdiction was arrested on Wednesday at Kithimani Law Courts premises for the offence of conspiracy to defeat justice after he sent Sh20,000 to the Matuu police station commander.
Constable Kimanzi was attempting to secure the release of a 23-year-old suspect who was arrested on Tuesday in Matuu town for trafficking one sack of bhang from Thika to Matuu through Garissa road.
The officer, who joined the police service just two years ago, was among the four officers from Kiamaciri who are facing murder charges before Baricho Law Courts.
The officers –Kimanzi, Francis Mutethia, Brian Kariuki and former OCS Kennedy Mugambi -were charged together with John Muriithi, the owner of the bar in Kangai village, Kirinyaga County, that sold the deadly liquor.
Between February 6 and 16, 2024, the victims.
The deaths were reported at Kangai and Kandogu areas where the 17 people died and 14 others survived after they underwent treatment, but left blind.
Investigations reveal that the National Police Service has little capacity to monitor rogue officers who were dismissed or interdicted from the service due to criminal activities.
A number of officers who have either been dismissed or interdicted, or with cases pending before courts have been arrested after they were found involved in crime.
According to Section 88A of the National Police Service Act, the appointment of an officer under interdiction “shall not cease only because of such interdiction”.
Though the powers, privileges and benefits vested in such officers remain in abeyance, they are expected to observe discipline.
Equally, records indicate that some rogue serving police officers are also involved in criminal activities including extortion and robberies.
In one of the recent cases an Administration Police officer under interdiction and who had been accused of two murders including that of a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier was in November last year also arrested for chopping off another man’s hand in Kabewa village, Nandi South Sub- County.
AP Constable Festus Ngetich was arrested on Monday by officers from Kobujoi police station for chopping the left hand of Abel Kiprono Limo, aged 34.
The rogue officer on November 15 last year in Chebugundi sub location, Mugen location within Nandi south sub county he waylaid the victim and attacked him before disappearing into darkness.
The officer who joined the service in 2003 was interdicted after he was charged with murder and the case, is pending before Kericho High Court. The case was investigated by Londiani Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The officer has a previous case of murder of the year 2012, when he was stationed at Kapyanga division, Sosiot Sub-County of Kericho county, where he was suspected of killing a KDF officer but later cleared.
Ngetich had been accused of gunning down Captain Bernard Siele when he tried to stop him from assaulting a civilian outside a popular bar at Kabianga trading centre.