- The suspect was charged with kidnapping a police officer.
- The OCS is expected to update the court on the outcome of his mission.
Image: THE STAR
Three police officers based at Kamukunji police station have been arrested by their DCI counterparts for aiding a Ugandan suspect escape remand in Nairobi.
This is after a court summoned Kamukunji OCS Shamir Yunis to explain how the Ugandan, Martin Wasike escaped from police custody.
Vacity Kimires (No 226076), Stephen Auko (No 254854) and Elias Koome (No 258832) were arrested on Thursday morning following CCTV footage recovered from the scene.
“All were on the night shift when the said prisoners escaped. It was crystal clear that the trio deliberately and without permission released the suspect on the morning of May 13 at around 5 am without permission,” the police OB said.
“The trio will be arraigned before Milimani criminal court today (Thursday) and charged for aiding escape contrary to section 124 (a) of the penal code.”
The arrest comes after senior principal magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot on Monday summoned the OCS to shed light on the circumstances that led to Martin Wasike’s disappearance from police custody.
Wasike was detained at the police station alongside Shariff Wanabwa and Phoebe Andayi for the alleged disappearance of police officer Abel Misati.
The three suspects were last week accused of kidnapping the officer on January 19 with the intention to murder him.
They denied the charge and were remanded at Kamukunji Police Station from where Wasike escaped a day after.
The summons was issued after a petition by Misati’s family through lawyer Alfred Nyandieka.
The family was concerned by the disappearance of the 27-year-old Ugandan and demanded answers.
On Friday, police said they had launched a manhunt for the fugitive which they intended to extend to Uganda.
The family was concerned by the disappearance of the 27-year-old Ugandan and demanded answers.
On Friday, police said they had launched a manhunt for the fugitive which they intended to extend to Uganda.
Yunis told the Court that a lapse by one of his officers might have allowed a Ugandan kidnapping suspect to escape from police cells.
He added that err is human, hence one of them might have mistakenly allowed Wasike to escape. "One of us must have erred," Yunis said.
He, however, assured that action will be taken against the officer should it be discovered that it was deliberate.
The court heard that Yunis has opened an inquiry into the circumstances under which the suspect disappeared. He has also sent a notice to other police stations to assist him in rearresting Wasike.
Yunis requested three months to apprehend the fugitive. Magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot, however, said three months was a long time, hence granted him two weeks.
The matter will be mentioned on June 2 when the OCS is expected to update the court on the outcome of his mission.