Police officers charged with transporting bhang, released on Sh5m bond each

Three police officers based in Wajir County have denied charges of transporting a consignment of bhang in a police car after being charged at a Kitui court.

The suspects who included two Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers Japheth  Kahindi and Bob Otieno based in Wajir and their regular counterpart police constable Micheal Mwangi were Thursday evening arraigned before Kitui Resident Magistrate Felistus Nekesa.

The charge sheet read that on October 2, 2019, at around 1.30 pm, they were found transporting 254kg of bhang in the police Toyota Land Cruiser whose GK labeled number plate they had reportedly changed.

The vehicle was intercepted at Kanyonyoo area along Garissa – Thika Highway and upon search, the drug consignment was found.

Two other persons, David Rabot and Asha Karama who were traveling with the police officers in the same car were also charged with the same offence.

All the accused persons, however, denied the charges. They also denied other charges of being in possession of unaccustomed sugar and government’s relief rice and milk which were found in the car.

The magistrate slapped the five suspects with a Sh5 million bond each with surety of similar amounts. Nekesa ordered that they return to court on October 17 for the mention of the case.

She also rejected a plea by their lawyer to have Sh130,000 seized from them returned.

Nekesa allowed the prosecution to keep the money and said that will be used as an exhibit during the hearing of the case.