Six officers linked to deaths of Embu brothers held for 14 days

 

Six police officers suspected of killing two brothers in Embu at the Milimani Law Courts. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

Six police officers suspected to have taken part in the killing of the two brothers in Kianjokoma village, Embu County, will spend 14 days at the Capitol Hill Police Station as investigations into the deaths go on. 

Milimani Court magistrate Daniel Ndungi ruled that Consolota Njeri, Benson Mbuthia, Lilian Cherono, Martin Wanyama, Nicholas Sang and James Mwaniki should remain in custody over the possibility of witness interference.

Further, the magistrate said detaining the six would be for their own safety, as there was a likelihood of chaos erupting if the six linked to the deaths of Benson Njiru Ndwiga, 22, and Emmanuel Mutura Ndwiga, 19, are released on bond.

“The court cannot close its eyes to the fact that the six are police officers and can interfere with witnesses. The people of Embu and Kenyans want to know what happened to the two brothers. The officers were arrested yesterday and if they are released now Kenyans may react to their release,” ruled Ndungi.

The State had urged the magistrate to deny the officers bail. According to Senior Assistant DPP Jacinta Nyamosi, investigators are digging information from the officers’ mobile phones and reaching out to witnesses.

At the same time, the burnt police vehicle became central to the State’s case, with the officers - two corporals and police constables - accused of interfering with crucial leads to the murder.

“There is a need to protect key witnesses so that they can provide more evidence to investigators,” argued Nyamosi. 

“There is a lot of tension and a lot of concern in the social media and thus a matter of public interest and there is a need to show commitment by the republic to provide justice in this matter.”

The application by the State was supported by the victims’ lawyer Nelson Havi. The President of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) argued that there was a concerted effort to conceal the murder.

According to him, the officers were transferred to far-flung police posts while the vehicle, which ought to be used as an exhibit during trial, was burnt.

“There was a contrived effort by the six and some officers in Embu to conceal the circumstances through which Emmanuel and Benson were killed,” Havi said.

“The motor vehicle was torched in circumstances that may lend credence to the destruction of evidence. In a quick succession of events, the commanders were transferred from the station and there was an attempt to transfer them to safer grounds.”

The six opposed the application. They argued that investigators have been in Embu for two weeks and had concluded gathering evidence.