A police officer attached to DCI Dagoretti base has been found guilty of receiving a bribe of Sh200,000 from a Chinese investor in order to drop charges against his wife for being in the country illegally.
Trial Magistrate Thomas Nzyuki said the evidence was sufficient in proving that Corporal Julius Onyango Oguma requested for the bribe that was initially set at Sh1 million but negotiated down to Sh200,000.
Onyango had been charged with receiving the money from one Janet Wangu.
He was in return supposed to release Gong Huan alias Kelly and forgo charging her with an offence of being in Kenya without proper documentation.
The court heard that the offence occurred at Kabete Police Station on November 28, 2018.
The officer was also found guilty of concealing the monies which he knew were to be used as evidence in an investigation for the offence of corruption.
The court in convicting him noted that the arrest of Gong was never booked at the report office.
“Contrary to standard procedure, it is apparent from the evidence that the arrest of Gong was never booked. She was kept at general office under the guard of DCI officers acting on instructions of corporal Oguma. She remained at the general office from 2pm up to unknown time beyond 5pm when commotion caused by operation to arrest Oguma occurred,” the Magistrate said.
The court also found Officer Charles Macharia guilty of obstructing four EACC investigators from arresting Oguma on the material day.
The court said he acted violently when he drew his firearm and fired in the air, while the said investigators were effecting lawful arrest.
“You were indiscipline. You became a law unto yourself, for a moment you ruled the area with your gun,” the Magistrate said..
“I blame you Macharia for the shooting incident and interfering with the scene. You were without lawful justification or excuse to obstruct the officers from discharging lawful mandate under the act. The evidence against you is direct and overwhelming.”
Two other officers (Samuel Kukhuvilo and Joseph Gatheca) who faced a similar charge of causing obstruction were, however, let free for lack of evidence.
The court set November 29, 2023 for mitigation and sentencing of the two convicts.
