Two police officers, including an inspector, are among four people who have been charged with robbery with violence before a court in Eldoret.
The suspects denied the charges when they appeared before senior resident magistrate Daniel Sitati.
Initially, three of the accused had appeared in court over allegations of robbing a businesswoman of more than Sh14 million in cash and valuables. They were later released on bond.
The first three suspects — Mahatt Abdullahi, Ernest Odongo alias Party, and police officer Philip Edasi, who is attached to Eldoret Central Police Station — are among those charged in connection with an alleged armed robbery involving a trader.
A fourth suspect, police inspector Kennedy Opasi, who is based in Samburu county, was later brought before the court, bringing the number of accused persons to four.
Magistrate Sitati allowed the prosecution to consolidate the charges, after which a fresh charge was read to all the accused.
They are accused of committing the offence on April 4 at around 9.23 am at Mti Moja in Turbo subcounty, Uasin Gishu county.
It is alleged that, jointly with others not before court, while armed with a dangerous weapon, namely a pistol, they robbed Suad Abdi of mobile phones — an A4S valued at Sh32,000 and an iPhone 11 Pro Max valued at Sh150,000 — as well as cash comprising $105,200 (equivalent to Sh13,465,600) and Sh1,310,000, bringing the total to Sh14,957,600.
The prosecution further told the court that the suspects used actual violence against the complainant during the robbery.
When they first appeared in court, magistrate Sitati ordered that each be released on a Sh1 million bond with two sureties of a similar amount, or an alternative cash bail of Sh400,000.
“I sustain my earlier order releasing each of the accused persons on a bond of Sh1 million with two sureties of a similar amount or a cash bail of Sh400,000 each,” Sitati ruled.
He ordered the suspects to report to Eldoret Central police station every 14 days and barred them from interfering with witnesses or travelling outside the court’s jurisdiction without permission.
The magistrate said the value of the property allegedly stolen and the alleged use of a firearm justified the strict bond terms, warning that failure to comply would lead to cancellation of bail.
“The accused must strictly adhere to the bond terms, which I am not ready to vary,” he said.
He further directed the prosecution to serve all necessary documents to ensure the matter is heard and determined expeditiously.
The case will be mentioned on July 6 to confirm compliance with disclosure requirements.
