Four police officers were charged on Tuesday at the Kisumu law courts with stealing alcohol.
William Cheruiyot, Bernard Macharia, Jane Chepkemei and Rodrick Labuchushet denied wrongdoing before chief magistrate Peter Gesora. They allegedly stole from a locked vehicle on Monday in Boya area, Nyando, Kisumu county.
The accused jointly with others not before court were accused of stealing assorted goods, including White Pearl Vodka in 250ml bottles and Guarana blue cans, all valued at Sh1.9 million.
Boya police station OCS Cheruiyot was also charged with handling stolen goods. The charge sheet read that Cheruiyot dishonestly retained assorted goods, having reasons to believe they had been stolen.
Magistrate Gesora released them on Sh300,000 bond. The case will be mentioned on August 27, with a hearing set for September 15, 2020.
The accused were arrested on Monday. A police report showed they were arrested following a road accident involving a vehicle on Sunday night.
The lorry was ferrying the White Pearl Vodka spirit. It is reported the officers stole the alcoholic spirits, instead of guarding the consignment after the accident.
Nyanza regional police commander Noah Mwavinda confirmed the arrest.
“It is true the officers were arrested. They were taken to court,” he told the Star on Tuesday.
The officers will face interdiction if found guilty. A total of 72 bottles of white pearl vodka spirits were recovered from the house of OCS Cheruiyot.
The incident was booked at Ahero police station in Nyando as OB3/10/08/2020 and 41/10/2020.
In a report seen by the Star from DCI Nyando, the OCS was on Monday detained at Kisumu Central police station.
