Four arrested for possessing Military uniforms

By Mary Kamande

Police in Thika on Tuesday recovered an assortment of military uniforms and accessories from a local market and arrested four suspects.

According to Thika deputy OCPD, Mr Caleb Wesa, the recovery was made at shop in Madaraka market in Makongeni estate.

He said the four suspects were found to be distributors of the uniforms but the tailor had escaped and was still at large but police were pursuing him. He said the four would be arraigned in court.

The shop, branded "Lee Clothing and Design" bore several notices pasted at the entrance warning the public against venturing inside.

Wesa expressed fear that the uniforms among them those for various security companies may have been sold to criminals including Al Shabaab operatives.

He said that they were however carrying out investigations to establish whether the tailor had been contracted to sew uniforms for the security companies.

He said uniforms for government security arms are not sewn by ordinary tailors.

"Uniforms for the military and other armed forces are not sewn in the streets. The material is also not available for sale," said Wesa.

He said police had established that the material recovered from the shop belonged to the army but it was not clear at what point it left government possession.

He said the recovery was a breakthrough as criminals have been using such uniforms to harass and rob people.

"We have often recovered police army uniforms from suspects," he said, adding that many of the criminals shot dead while in action wore such uniform.