•Directorate of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti said the officers forcefully robbed the trader of Sh100,000 and kitchenware valued at more than Sh170,000.
• The two rogue officers are facing a separate charge of demanding for Sh200,000 from an Egyptian national on tramped up accusations that Egyptians are not allowed in Kenya.
Image: The Star
Two police officers are in custody awaiting robbery with violence charges for robbing a city businessman of Sh270,000.
Directorate of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti said the officers forcefully robbed the trader of Sh100,000 and kitchenware valued at more than Sh170,000.
"Police constables Kennedy Riendo and Joseph Kakuli, both based at the Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit (CIPU) headquarters were arrested following the ugly incident that occurred on Thursday morning, leading to a road traffic accident along Mombasa road," Kinoti said on Saturday.
He said the two rogue officers are facing a separate charge of demanding for Sh200,000 from an Egyptian national on tramped up accusations that Egyptians are not allowed in Kenya.
"The foreigner responded that he only had Sh29,000 in his Mpesa account, and the officers escorted him to an Mpesa outlet at the Imara mall, to withdraw the cash," Kinoti said.
He said one officer was in police jungle uniform and armed with an AK-47 assault rifle while the other was in civilian clothing when the accosted the foreigner identified as Naoman Mosad at the Gateway Mall.
In a series of tweets, the DCI boss said that the shaken victim contacted the director of Apogee warehouse group, Susan Makena, who came to his aid and found them at the mall just before the transaction was completed.
"She stopped the foreigner from making the withdrawal and insisted that they report the matter at Mlolongo police station for the lawful process to take course, contrary to the wishes of the officers," Kinoti said.
At last the officers reluctantly agreed to board the woman’s vehicle to Mlolongo.
However along the, Riendo remarked that the two were wasting their precious time and threatened to take unspecified action including killing them.
"His accomplice at the back reached for his handcuffs and cuffed the foreigner’s hands before ransacking his pockets and making away with Sh100,500," Kinoti said.
He said that Riendo, who was seated in the front seat, snatched the driver’s phone and threw it at the back seat before dangerously engaging the vehicle’s handbrake while it was still in motion.
"The already shocked driver lost control of the vehicle which turned around facing the opposite direction."
Kinoti said the sudden manoeuvre caused a road traffic accident with an oncoming pickup truck that landed in a ditch.
"Before Makena and the foreigner knew what was happening, the thugs in police uniform hurriedly disembarked from the vehicle and disappeared from the scene," Kinoti said.
Detectives and general duty police officers based at Embakasi police station responded to the incident and rescued the victims who luckily, did not suffer any injuries.
And as if in a show of bravery, the rogue officers who had since changed their clothes and were now not armed returned to the scene to clean up their mess.
"Earlier as they fled the scene, they forgot to uncuff their prisoner and for fear of being busted, they crept back to collect them, only to find the scene heavily secured," Kinoti said.
"The two alluded to being in the vehicle earlier, and alleged that they were on the verge of death moments ago since the driver had caused an accident with the intention of killing them.
"That lame explanation failed to convince the detectives who immediately arrested the two police officers based at the CIPU headquarters, for further investigations," Kinoti said.
Seven boxes of stolen kitchenware were recovered from the vehicle.