There was drama at a roadblock along the Nairobi-Namanga highway when a confrontation broke out between two police units over suspected contraband ethanol.
Two detectives from Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Parklands were disarmed in the drama before they were rescued by their seniors who sent a reinforcement.
They were disarmed at the Kitengela roadblock by a team of police officers on Sunday night as they escorted a lorry that had suspected illicit ethanol that had originated Tanzania.
Officials said the DCI detectives had prior information the product was being transported to Nairobi.
They intercepted a lorry carrying the product in Namanga and when they demanded to be shown the documents of the same the driver said he was carrying maize and that he did not have them.
One of the detectives boarded the lorry with their unmarked car in its tow while headed to DCI headquarters.
The detectives said on reaching at the roadblock in Kitengela, they were stopped by armed police officers who were manning it.
The officers said at the roadblock, they introduced themselves as colleagues to those who were manning it.
“But the officers manning the roadblock became furious and demanded that we alight and handover our guns at gunpoint. They also took away a certificate of appointment from one of us,” said one of the officers who were affected.
The dramatic confrontation ensued for a while with the DCI detectives demanding that the lorry be taken to their headquarters for further verification.
The area Officer Commanding Police Division Silas Ringera was informed of the drama and ordered that the lorry be held at the Kitengela police station.
In the meantime, the head of Flying Squad Musa Yego was also informed of the drama and sent a team to the ground to rescue those disarmed and solve the matter.
Officials said the matter was resolved and the lorry later escorted to DCI headquarters. The driver of the lorry managed to escape during the confrontation and is yet to be found.
Police say there has been illegal supply of ethanol to Nairobi from the Namanga route despite efforts to contain the menace.
A team of detectives was yesterday assigned to investigate the drama and take necessary action on those involved.
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The team wants to establish if there has been any communication between the teams that man the roadblock and the driver who is at large.
“This will enable the officers know if their colleagues were involved in the smuggling of the product,” said a senior officer aware of the issue.
Such incidents happen as various units differ on operations within their jurisdictions.
And to address them, police authorities have proposed several reforms to be implemented and ensure specialization of duties.
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