• The vehicle had been detained for almost two months despite the complainant obtaining and presenting to the acting OCS a court order for its release.
• Following their arrest and processing at the Integrity Centre Police Station, they were later booked at Kilimani station pending further actions.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested two police officers in Kiambu County for demanding Sh50,000 to "motivate" them to release a detained motor vehicle.
The two, a deputy OCS for a police station in the area and who was acting as the OCS at the time, and a junior officer, were arrested on Monday evening.
The vehicle had been detained for almost two months despite the complainant obtaining and presenting to the acting OCS a court order for its release.
Following their arrest and processing at the Integrity Centre Police Station, they were later booked at Kilimani station pending further actions.
EACC acted following investigations into allegations that on July 26, 2023, the complainant was arrested while transporting gas cylinders to his place of business at Githunguri.
The complainant was accused of transporting the cylinders using an unauthorised vehicle, a saloon car.
The officers proceeded to impound and detain it at the police station.
The following day, he was taken to Githunguri Law Courts and charged with the offence of transporting gas cylinders using an unauthorised vehicle.
The man was freed on a bond of Sh70,000 and the magistrate granted his request to have the car released back to him.
The Deputy OCS was ordered to forthwith release the vehicle, unconditionally.
Armed with the order, the complainant went to the police station to get his vehicle but the man in charge would not adhere to it.
He said the vehicle should not be released back and gave no reasons to his decision, which was contrary to the court order.
A week later, the man was called by the junior officer who told her that the Deputy OCS wanted to talk to him, to negotiate ways of having the vehicle released back to him in a win-win approach.
When the complainant went, the deputy OCS demanded a mandatory fee of Sh50,000 as a motivation for the release of the vehicle.
He pleaded that the car be released in accordance with the court order but the officer remained adamant and ordered him out of the station until the day he got the money.
It is at this time that the complainant sought the intervention of the EACC and the investigation which established the aforesaid was launched.
After verifying the claims, the anti-graft agency mounted an operation that led to the arrest of the acting OCS and the junior officer.
They were arrested at the station immediately after receiving the demanded "motivation fee".