Police to investigate police murders - Ojode

By Steve Mkawale

The Government says it has set up a committee to investigate a series of murders linked to drug trafficking as exposed by KTN's investigative reports on Jicho Pevu, Internal Security Assistant minister Orwa Ojode tells parliament.

Ojode said a committee had been formed to investigate the brutal murders of at least five police officers involved in investigating drug cartels.

Internal Security Assistant minister Orwa Ojode. Photo: Standard

This follows an expose aired by Kenya Television Network (KTN), this week that gave a detailed account how senior police officers and government officials conspired to execute the incorruptible officers investigating drug cartels.

Ojode told the House that the committee was investigating the shocking and gruesome murders of the officers.

He said that the police are not compromised in their investigations and that those found to be involved in the killings would be dealt with.

But Ojode could not tell the House when the investigations would be completed or who the members of the committee were.

MPs Rachel Shebesh (ODM), Benjamin Wasiali (ODM) and Martha Karua (Narc-Kenya) who raised the issue in parliament during Question Time sought to know what the government had done following the expose that shocked the country.

The legislators sought to know what action would be taken against senior police officers and top government officials implicated in the brutal murders.

The KTN expose gave a chilling account of how senior police officers and government officials linked to drugs cartels conspired to eliminate police officers investigating drug trafficking cases.

One of the officers - a General Service Unit (GSU) officer - the late Eratus Chemorei was gunned down at his home in Eldoret after he allegedly refused to hand over keys to a store at the GSU headquarters where a Sh6billion cocaine haul had been stored.

The MPs were asking supplementary questions in an issue raised by Bundalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba who sought to know whether the government had concluded investigations into allegations linking four MPs and a businessman - Ali Punjani to drug trafficking.

Ojode said investigations into the drug trafficking allegations against the MPs and the businessman have not been concluded.

He, however, said no adequate evidence was found to link them to drug trafficking as indicated in the interim report read in parliament on February 17 by Internal Security Minister Prof George Saitoti.

Ojode said the Anti-Narcotic Unit was still investigating the allegations raised by former US Ambassador Michael Ranneberger.

But members put him to task when they demanded to know when the investigations would be completed so that the MPs and the businessman could be cleared of the allegations.

"If there is no adequate evidence to link them to drug trafficking what prompted the police to mention their names in an interim report?" posed Dujis MP Aden Duale.

Karua demanded to know whether the Government was under the control of drug trafficking cartels and what the minister was doing to move police officers linked to the cartels from the Coast.

"Why has the anti-narcotic unit failed to take anyone to court over the matter?" she posed.

Namwamba told the House that the Minister should exonerate the four MPs and the trader, and tender an apology to the House.

Deputy Temporary Speaker Joyce Laboso cut short the debate and directed Ojode to bring a report in the House on the investigations.

But Ojode said he could not promise to table a report as investigations were ongoing.