Two officers dismissed for blocking President Uhuru Kenyatta's motorcade on January 10, are set to move to court to challenge their sacking.
Corporal Barnaba Rutto and Constable Joel Atuti who were dismissed from the force on January 15 have instructed their lawyers to institute legal proceedings against the National Police Service over what they describe as cooked up allegations behind their sacking.
Rutto and Atuti intend to highlight a contradiction in their dismissal letters and remarks by President Uhuru Kenyatta as grounds for their unfair sacking.
Uhuru while addressing the official closing of the Inspector General's Conference in South C, Nairobi, told the officers; "While in Mombasa last Week I witnessed police officers taking a bribe from a PSV," referring to the incident involving Rutto and Atuti.
However, Rutto's dismissal letter exclusively seen by The Star, indicates that he was only dismissed for blocking the president's motorcade. It makes no mention of the alleged bribery incident.
Corporal Barnaba Rutto told The Star that he submitted his appeal letter to the Police headquarters in Nairobi and is now moving to court.
"We have followed the relevant procedure as it was indicated in the dismissal letter. Our lawyer is now working on papers and will be moving to court," he said
On January 10, Rutto and Atuti were driving back to Mtwapa from Tudor where they had gone to arrest a suspect.
The officers said they were forced to stop their vehicle in the middle of the road when they came across a public service vehicle blocking traffic.
They parked the police vehicle in front of the matatu so they could arrest the driver.
It is then that Uhuru’s motorcade arrived and the officers ordered to move the car.
They had been unaware of the motorcade.
On arrival at the station with the matatu and the driver Omar Jilo, they were disarmed and investigations began.
The following day, Rutto was booked at Central police station, while Atuti was booked at Makupa police station. They were released after five days and their dismissal letters issued.
A relative to Rutto questioned why the two were booked at separate stations for the same offence allegedly committed while they were together.
"We wonder why were they not taken to court and why they were locked for five days in different police cells," the kin who asked to be quoted on condition of anonymity said.