Waiganjo's probe team wants Mbijiwe, Ngugi sacked

Joshua Waiganjo who is accused of impersonating an Assistant Commissioner of Police [Photo:File/Standard]

By Cyrus Ombati

NAIROBI,KENYA: The team appointed to probe police ‘imposter’ Joshua Waiganjo’s saga has recommended retirement or sacking of suspended Rift Valley PPO John M’Mbijiwe and Anti-Stock Theft boss Michael Ngugi.

The team however lifted the suspension of Njoro OCPD Peter Nthiga.

The team chaired by Mary Owuor handed over its findings and recommendation to the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) on Thursday.

“The team recommends that the police service commission lifts the interdiction of former OCPD Njoro and transfers him out of Rift Valley region,” said part a report.

It also cleared former Commissioner of Police Mathew Iteere saying investigations had proved he did not know Waiganjo.

“It is useful to reveal that this report actually finds the information given by former Commissioner credible and this exonerates him of complicity,” stated the probe team in the report.

The team found that Waiganjo was neither a police officer nor a reservist and that he was close to M’Mbijiwe and Ngugi.

The team found out that Waiganjo was privy to confidential security information and that there was no police officer who was promoted, dismissed or against whom disciplinary action was taken at the instigation of Waiganjo.

M’Mbijiwe and Ngugi may face criminal charges if and when the Director of Public Prosecutions and Attorney General give their opinion on the same.

Commission chairman Johnston Kavuludi who received the report said they will consult widely and seek advise from the two offices while implementing the recommendations while ensuring separation between legal issues including matters before court.

The team further wants the Internal Affairs Unit that is supposed to investigate complaints against police officers be operationalised and that command and structure be reexamined to ensure that power and authority is not concentrated in one central office.

The team handed over its report to the commission and asked that all gazetted officers be vetted forthwith in accordance with Section seven of the National Police Service Act.

It also wants an immediate audit of all Kenya Police Reservists and a database be created and that police introduce the use of firearms movement registers in areas where they do not exist to facilitate proper management of firearms issued to police officers.

“The National Police Service Commission should develop comprehensive policy on recruitment, training, appointment, deployment, remuneration and personnel record management for Kenya Police Reserve,” says the report.

The six-member team was unveiled by NPSC following Waiganjo’s saga that embarrassed the police force and led to suspension of M’Mbijiwe, Ngugi and Nthiga.

The other five members of the committee are Kioko Kilukumi (vice-chairman and represents Law Society of Kenya), Gideon Kimilu (CID deputy director), Edna Ameya (Kenya National Commission on Human Rights) and George Mukabi (Public Service Commission).

The team held sittings in Nakuru Municipal Hall and in Nairobi at KICC where it heard evidence from 30 witnesses.

Waiganjo is currently facing several criminal charges including robbery with violence and impersonation as a police officer after his arrest on December 31.

The team’s terms of reference included establishing if Waiganjo was a police officer or Kenya Police Reservist for what duration and who recruited him, circumstances under which he operated as an officer and who gave him orders and instructions and his associates.

It was also supposed establish what equipment were issued to Waiganjo, how they were used and how he accessed police facilities and premises and find out how he was included in the security mission to Baragoi.

The team was asked to establish to what extent that Waiganjo was privy to confidential information, did his involvement compromise security operation in Baragoi in particular and generally other serious crimes in the country.

Kilokumi said they did not conclusively establish if indeed Waiganjo leaked out intelligence reports prior to the Baragoi operation last November in which more than 40 police officers were killed.

It found out that there was harassment, intimidation and humiliation of serving officers and members of the public by Mr Waiganjo personally through the misuse of the PPO’s office.