How impostor rode on blind police obedience

By Alex Kiprotich

Waiganjo during the trip to Baragoi following killings of policemen after a failed security operation. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]

KENYA: Only in the movies could anyone dream up a fish-out-of-water story as comic and fantastic as that of Joshua Karanjahi Waiganjo.

A class-eight dropout who had worked as a matatu conductor in Naivasha, he is said to have passed himself off as a senior police officer for five years. This went on even as the police sought him over fraud in Mpeketoni, Lamu County, and cattle theft in Subukia and the Tana Delta.

The tricks he used in his scam have kept Kenyans captivated all week even as they marvel at how easily he fooled those he dealt with.

He wore the wrong kind of uniform, often failed to follow police procedures and allegedly made conflicting claims about his rank and position in the force. Despite this, he confidently confronted senior police officers with bizarre and sometimes illegal requests for personal favours.

When his lies were noticed, he allegedly intimidated ‘junior’ officers by dropping the names of Provincial Police boss John M’mbijiwe and  Commissioner of Police Mathew Iteere. One of his victims was Nakuru District Criminal Investigations Officer (DCIO) Lawrence Nthenge, who he allegedly ordered to pay for lunch for alleged incompetence.

Suspended Njoro OCPD Peter Njeru this week told a bewildered committee investigating Waiganjo’s activities of the confrontation.

Promotion

“He castigated the DCIO during the meeting (at Baragoi, Samburu District) for failing to follow instructions and ordered him to foot the bill for the lunch we had taken,” said Mr Njeru.

One wonders what went through his mind at this bizarre order by his oddly behaved ‘superior’.

In his testimony, Njeru portrayed a man who ruled with an iron fist and whose instructions you would only defy at your own peril.

Former Kirengero OCS Chief Inspector Julius Kyalo Kalinda told the committee that he defied Waiganjo when he ordered that he releases two lorries impounded on suspicion of being used in criminal activities.

“He called me to warn me of dire consequences if I did not heed his directive,” said Mr Kalinda. And, true to his word, he and four other OCSs handling the case were transferred to far-flung stations of Turkana, Loitoktok and Eldoret. Another officer asked to release impounded vehicles chose to go on leave and returned to find her deputy had been bullied into doing so.

Witnesses have claimed Waiganjo was also a master of disguise. When he first paid a courtesy call on the Njoro OCPD in July last year, he introduced himself as the Staffing Officer Operations based at the Anti-Stock Theft Unit headquarters in Gilgil.

Transferred

“He was in full jungle uniform, wearing the rank (insignia) of a Senior Superintendent of Police,” said Njeru. During the meeting, Waiganjo claimed Mr Iteere had promised to promote him to the next rank.

“After one week, true to his word, he came to my office wearing the rank of an assistant Commissioner of Police,” said Njeru. While there had been no reports of the promotion, Waiganjo allegedly ‘proved’ himself with his influence in police circles.

“At one time he told me they had agreed with the PPO that the Naivasha OCPD Levi Oponyo be transferred and true to his word Oponyo was transferred the following day,“ he added. Njeru said Waiganjo would often show him his phone with incoming calls from a number saved as ‘Combo Iteere’ before engaging in conversations with the ‘Commissioner’. He would also boast about his ties with M’Mbijiwe.

“For the PPO, he would put his mobile on loud speaker and later hand me the phone and ask me to talk to my PPO,” he added. 

Waiganjo also took advantage of his fake rank to endear himself to women in the force.

He allegedly asked the PPO to allocate Ms Esther Gathige day time duties after she complained to him that she was not comfortable with the night shift and needed time to spend with her baby. Gathige works as a driver at the CID Rift Valley Provincial headquarters.

West Pokot OCPD David Wambua describes the impostor as a man who would not entertain any inconvenience. He told the investigating team of an incident when M’mbijiwe called to inform him that Waiganjo was on his way to the station.

Mr Wambua decided to attend to other duties rather than wait in the office for the arrival of the visitor. This decision almost cost him his job when Waiganjo complained to the PPO that the OCPD was not in to receive him.

“When M’mbijiwe learnt that I was not in the office, he called me and ordered me to go back and attend to Waiganjo,” he said.

The impostor introduced himself as an assistant commissioner of Police in charge of reservists in the Rift Valley. He said he had been sent to open a personnel file in Kapenguria and wanted the officer to write a letter indicating that he was working in the region.

Despite the highly irregular nature of the request, Wambua - like other suspicious officers before him did not challenge Waiganjo. And so the man said to have links to criminals was included in the security meeting that launched the most disastrous operation in police history.