Three 'rogue' Rift Valley police officers charged with abduction and extortion

From left: Tanzanian Riziki Paulo with police officers Stephen Mwongera, Francis Gitau and Charles Shikami at the Kericho Law Courts, yesterday. They appeared before Kericho Senior Resident Magistrate Lillian Kinale and were charged with abduction and attempt to extort money from their hostage. [PHOTO: NIKKO TANUI/STANDARD]

Three Nakuru police officers were yesterday arraigned before Kericho Senior Resident Magistrate Lillian Kinale charged with two counts of abduction and attempts to extort Sh300,000.

The three, Charles Shikami, Francis Gitau and Stephen Mwongera, were charged alongside Tanzanian Riziki Paulo with secretly and jointly confining Abdul Swaibu Kampaya contrary to Section 256 of the Penal Code on August 8 along Kericho–Kisumu highway.

The officers and the fourth suspect faced a second count of attempting to violently extort money from Mr Kampaya. Rift Valley Police Regional Co-ordinator Gideon Amalla said the three officers stand interdicted until their cases are concluded.

Two other officers will know their fate today when they will be arraigned for releasing a robbery suspect together with stolen goods.

"The service will not condone indiscipline," said Mr Amalla. "The law will take its course and no one will be spared in the ongoing investigations."

The officers and their accomplice denied the charge and were released on a Sh100,000 bond with a surety of similar amount. The accused were represented by Nakuru advocate David Mongeri and his Kericho colleague Erastus Orina.

The State prosecutor had, however, opposed the granting of bail to Ms Paulo terming her a "flight risk".

"We have information which makes us believe that she is not a Kenyan and, therefore, in line with Article 149 of the Constitution, the reason why she should not be granted bond is that she is a flight risk," said the prosecutor.

"I would like to request the court to grant the first (Shikami) and the third (Gitau) accused persons personal bonds in whichever amounts, reason being they are officers still on Government payroll and they would be reporting to their station every morning and evening. There is no chance they would fail to appear in court," said Mr Mongeri.

He also told the court Paulo was not a flight risk. "The court can give stringent terms, including surrendering her passport. That is sufficient security that she would be attending court," said Mongeri.

The lawyer said the suspects were arrested at Taidy's Hotel in Kericho County and they were from Kisumu where they had conducted an arrest pursuant to a report filed in court.

"The first to the third accused persons were improperly subjected to serious inhumane acts by the police. The second accused person has a suspected rib fracture because of the way they were handled," said Mongeri.

Meanwhile, constables Hassan Chesebe and Kawa Lumangati will today be arraigned. "Constables Chesebe and Lumangati were to be arraigned in court but their advocate was representing the other officers in Kericho," said Nakuru DCIO James Lelia yesterday. The two were arrested for allegedly colluding with a suspect to share stolen goods worth Sh300,000 after breaking into a boutique shop in Kabarnet, Baringo.