Ex-constables tell IG Mutyambai to review dismissal

Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai. [Beverlyne Musili, Standard]

Three former police constables sacked 15 years ago have appealed to the new Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai to review their case, claiming they were condemned unheard.

The three officers who were dismissed after a remandee disappeared at the Wajir Law Courts in 2003, pleaded with Mr Mutyambai and the new team at the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) to adopt a recommendation by former North Eastern Provincial Police Officer Jonathan Koskei, which cleared them.

Dismissed immediately

Mwero Chikoza, Mohamed Eymoi and Alexious Mulwa Matheka said they were dismissed immediately the remandee disappeared, even without the opening of an inquiry file on the incident.

According to them, they had successfully appealed against their dismissal before the then North Eastern police boss, but the recommendation was never effected.

The three wondered why the recommendation was ignored more than a decade after it was ordered that they be reinstated.

Adopt recommendation

They said former Wajir OCS Chief Inspector John Ndung’u had asked them to double up duties by escorting and guarding 15 remandees, but one of them escaped while they were busy at the courts, leading to their dismissal seven days later.

“These were the duties of prison warders. One of the inmates took advantage and escaped, which led to our dismissal only seven days after the incident. The prisoner was later rearrested and there was no report that implicated us in any way,” said Chikoza.

The new NPSC team is led by the Chairman Eliud Kinuthia, who took up the task last month.

Constables Chikoza of force number 73315, Eymoi (72540) and Matheka (75748) urged Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to adopt Mr Koskei’s recommendation.