Hard questions await Iteere over impostor at tribunal

By Ally Jamah and Alex Ndegwa

NAIROBI; KENYA: Former Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere will on Friday face questions from an inquiry team probing the unsettling drama where a civilian infiltrated his force, issued commands, and shoved around his ‘juniors’.

With his name adversely mentioned in how Joshua Waiganjo, now facing robbery charges after he was busted as a police impostor, Iteere will predictably be asked about what could be the most disreputable act to rock the police during his tenure.

Iteere’s lawyer Gikunda Miriti on Thursday told the commission led by former Criminal Investigations Training School commandant, Mary Owuor, his client would be present during proceedings on Friday.

The former police chief had been scheduled to appear on Thursday, but Miriti explained Iteere wanted to familiarise himself with what other witnesses had said about him to prepare his reply. Iteere will be held to account on allegations leveled against him in particular whether he recruited Waiganjo into the police force in 2009 as his family alleged.

The former police chief will come out of retirement to defend his honesty and tenure, amid damning allegations arising from hearings into perhaps one of the most scandalous events to rock the force.

Iteere, who has publicly stated he does not know Waiganjo, will face questions about how the suspect masqueraded as a top officer for so long while hobnobbing with senior officers and issuing directives to junior officers. 

Valued gifts

He will have to rebuff testimony by his juniors who have claimed Waiganjo enjoyed patronage from police chiefs and particularly an allegation that he was too close to Waiganjo that he received a gift from him. 

At the opening of public hearings in Nakuru, it was claimed that Waiganjo gave Iteere and suspended Rift Valley Provincial Police Officer John M’mbijiwe a Toyota Land Cruiser each.

Suspended Njoro divisional commander Peter Njeru claimed Waiganjo told him how he had donated vehicles to the Police Commissioner and the PPO depicting him as one who rubbed shoulders with the top commanders. Njeru said the PPO had informed him that Waiganjo was deployed to Nakuru by the Police Commissioner to work in Mbijjiwe’s office following an upsurge of crime in Nakuru.

He claimed Waiganjo bragged to other officers about his alleged friendship with both Iteere and M’Mbijjiwe, saying he could call them any time on his mobile phone.

Officers denials

M’Mbijjiwe was expected to testify on Thursday but instead sent a statement to the commission. Waiganjo’s family has alleged that Iteere hired him in 2009 as a senior superintendent of police and posted him to the Nakuru PPO’s office.

They have claimed he had first served in the force in 2002 as a police reservist, but his stint was short-lived after former police commissioner Major General Hussein Ali disbanded the formation. M’Mbijiwe has publicly stated that Waiganjo was recruited by a former police commissioner.

M’Mbijiwe claimed his predecessor Mr Francis Munyambu introduced Waiganjo to him as head of police reservists in Rift Valley, with the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police.

M’Mbijiwe, Njeru and the commandant of Anti-Stock Theft Unit Michael Rimi Ngugi were interdicted to pave way for investigations into the saga.Iteere will also be asked to explain how officers Waiganjo threatened with transfers were eventually moved.

Njeru told the commission of the case involving Naivasha divisional commander Ernest Oponyo.

 “At one time he told me they had agreed with the PPO that the Naivasha OCPD Ernest Oponyo be transferred, and true to his word Oponyo was transferred (to police headquarters) the following day,” he added.

But Iteere has publicly denied claims that he appointed Waiganjo, adding he did not know him either. “If it is indeed true that I promoted, appointed or transferred him as alleged, then where are the letters or signals to that effect?” posed Iteere, in a statement a day after the suspension of the officers.

Iteere explained that urban Kenya Police Reservist was disbanded in 2004 by then police boss, Ali, and since then, none has been appointed or reinstated. He described claims by Waiganjo’s family that he appointed him to the position as pure lies.

Iteere explained he learnt of Waiganjo from the investigation team he had appointed to probe the Baragoi bungled security operation, which reported a stranger in the security team. Below is the verbatim report.