Woman charged with stealing pistol from DP’s guard

A woman was yesterday charged with stealing a weapon from a security officer attached to the deputy president’s official residence in Mombasa. Stealing gun

Elsie Kazungu alias Gladys Wanjala allegedly stole the weapon from where it was kept, under the police constable’s pillow, and later sold it to Joshua Oliech in Kisauni.

Yesterday, the two were charged with two counts of theft.

Charge sheet

The charge sheet states that on December 19, 2019, Kazungu “secretly stole a mobile phone valued at Sh1,200, a Ceska pistol serial number E1546 loaded with 15 bullets from the deputy president’s residence.”

The gun has not been recovered but Kazungu and Oliech were charged before Chief Magistrate Edna Nyalotti.

They were freed on a Sh200,000 bond each.

In the wee hours of December 19, 2019, the officer reportedly picked the woman from Mombasa’s Moi Avenue. He took her to his house in the heavily-guarded compound where he would later lose his Ceska pistol to the woman.

The DP’s residence is about 30 metres from State House, Mombasa, and less than 50 metres from the Coast regional police headquarters. It is extremely rare and difficult for strangers and civilians to access the residence even during the day.

The officer who lost the weapon was attached to Special Crime Prevention Unit based at Central Police Station.

The matter became one of Mombasa’s best kept secrets as the police launched a manhunt for the woman.

In the wake of the security breach, 10 officers at the DP’s residence were transferred and replaced by General Service Unit officers.

Yesterday, The Standard established that the officer from whom the pistol was stolen has not been charged.

The charge sheet does not include his name and police have not indicated whether he is still on duty or under investigation.

“We cannot tell you where he is because we are still conducting an investigation,” said Mombasa DCIO Anthony Murithi.

Separate case

Reports indicate Kazungu vanished from Mombasa after the theft, but was arrested on a separate matter, charged and remanded at Shimo la Tewa Prison while the search for her on the weapon’s theft progressed.

According to the police and court records, detectives stumbled upon her at the prison from where she was rearrested last weekend and charged with theft of the pistol, 15 bullets and a cellphone from the officer.

Following her discovery at the prison, she led police to Oliech who allegedly bought the gun for Sh3,000.