• Reliable intelligence reports indicate one of the two will be moved to Eldoret while the other will be moved later in the week.
• The revelations come days after detectives raided palatial home of wanted drug lord suspect Ali Punjani in Nyali.
Image: ANDREW KASUKU
Two top police chiefs in Mombasa are set to be moved after they were linked to the ongoing war on the drugs trade in Coast.
Reliable intelligence reports indicate one of the two will be moved to Eldoret either next Monday or Tuesday while the other will be moved later in the week.
This comes five days after Interior CS Fred Matang’ i said the war of drugs will be ruthless and painful.
The revelations come days after detectives raided the palatial home of wanted drug lord suspect Ali Punjani in Nyali.
A source said that transactions of cash from documents seized from Punjani private office at his house were traced back to the two.
The two are said to have been aiding Punjani to enjoy his life undisturbed despite his links with drug kingpin Baktash and Ibrahim Akasha.
Despite Mombasa being the home-ground of Akasha drug empire hosting dozens of foreigners and influential businessmen involved in multi-million cocaine and heroin, police have been holding press briefing stunts of a cache of rolls of bhang, tablets of bugizi and drug peddlers after raids.
Sources said police have been ordered to return documents confiscated from Punjani's home on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Shanzu Court set free of wife suspected drug baron Ali Punjani, Karki Sushmita, her relatives Ram Manoj and Bashyal Shiva after police failed to link her to trafficking.
They were arrested at the sitting room during the raid.
This week another top police boss close to the two declined to comment on the matter saying “we don’t disclose such matters,” without denying the transfer reports.
Coast Police Commander Marcus Ocholla and Coast Regional Coordinator could not be reached for comment as their phones repeatedly went unanswered.
On Tuesday, Mombasa county police commander Johnstone Ipara denied media reports that Punjani had been assigned, armed police bodyguards.
During the Akasha's' trial, a US court heard that the two had immersed influence and had repeatedly bribed police officers to buy their freedom.
In a case of the state is its own enemy in the war on drugs, several officers are being investigated over reports in the web of drug trafficking.
Chief inspector Shadrack Mumo the OCS for Kizingitini police station is said to have released the haul and the owner, a wanted drug kingpin in Lamu.
But the Star has learned that top police officers in the long chain of drug trade ordered his release but he refused claiming his name was already tainted and wanted investigations to continue.
Two prison wardens Bonface Korir and William Chengo were arraigned in Voi Court on Wednesday after they were arrested at Manyani Prison while hiding cocaine worth Sh10,800 in a toilet.
The arrest at the prison came a month after another officer was interdicted after he was caught up in a drug syndicate inside the prison.