•The suspects were not represented by any lawyer in court.
•Mwanzia told the court that the victim, who is a diplomat, reported the incident at the Parklands police station.
Image: DOUGLAS OKIDDY
Sixteen boda boda riders who allegedly assaulted a female diplomat have been detained for 15 days pending investigations.
Milimani Principal Magistrate Robert Shikwe on Thursday ruled that the application by the prosecution to have the 16 suspects detained was merited.
He said the matter was of public interest, and there was a need for police to be given time to probe the suspects.
The case will be mentioned on March 24.
On Monday, the police filed an affidavit seeking to detain the suspects James Mutinda, Samuel Wafula, Charles Omondi, Japheth Bosire, Hassan Farah, Wanjiku Lincon, Harrison Maina, among others.
Inspector of police Yvonne Mwanzia had said the suspects allegedly assaulted the female diplomat on March 4 along Wangari Maathai Road in Nairobi.
In the application, the officer had sought to be allowed to detain the suspects for 20 days to allow her and other officers to complete their investigations.
The suspects were not represented by any lawyer in court.
Mwanzia told the court that the victim, who is a diplomat, reported the incident at the Parklands police station.
She said at around 1730hrs, the victim, while she was driving the vehicle along Wangari Mathai road, on reaching Barabara Tano, was involved in a traffic road accident with a boda boda rider.
“Suddenly, a group of bodaboda riders moved to where her vehicle had stopped and attacked her, accusing her of hitting one of their colleagues,” the court was told.
The officer added that while the victim was still inside her vehicle, the suspects started assaulting her and in the process, they robbed her of a mobile phone valued at Sh130,000.
The police need to retrieve CCTV footage from Barabara Tano for forensic analysis at DCI's imaging and photographic department.
They also need time to compile the police file and take it to DPP for perusal.
"I need 20 days to investigate the suspects who have no known place of abode," Mwanzia told the court.
She said the complainant is yet to sign a P3, and she's still undergoing medication and counselling.
They also need time to request call data from service providers so that they can trace the movements of the accused persons.
The suspects’ mobile phones need to be taken to the cybercrime unit for forensic analysis.
The officers were apprehensive that if not granted the required days, they will not get enough evidence to prosecute the suspects.
Mwanzia said the victim deserves to have her interests safeguarded and it can only be safeguarded if comprehensive investigations are done and ensure that rightful offenders are brought to book.
Some of the suspects, however, were opposed to the 20 days being sought by the police. They said they are not boda boda riders as alleged by the police.