Five police officers and a civilian have been charged with attempting to extort money from an employee of an engineering firm.

Peter Ng'ang'a, Job Mitau Muasya, Richard Hungi Kahungu, Laban Waweru and Duncan Mukenye were arraigned before Thika Chief Magistrate Theresa Murigi.

They were charged alongside Jared Mwanziki Kirima, the driver of the vehicle they were travelling in.

The Prosecution led by State counsel Stella Oyugi told the court that on June 10 in Makongeni area of Thika West, the officers together with others, with intent to extort money, demanded Sh1 million from John Kinyanjui of Xin Tong Engineering Ltd. They asked for the money before they could release Wei Xian Shun, whom they had arrested and was in their custody.

The officers were represented by lawyer Norman Otieno who prayed for their release on bond. In his application, Mr Otieno pleaded with the court to grant the officers a cash bail since they are State officers and cannot abscond court proceedings.

"The first five accused are police officers attached to different stations and they are still on active duty. There are no records to show that they have been charged again before and again they have families to attend to. I, therefore, wish to make an application to have them released on cash bail," Otieno told the court.

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No bond

The lawyer submitted that the Prosecution had not tabled substantial evidence that would have led to the denial of his application.

Ms Murigi, however, denied the officers bond and ordered them to be remanded at the Thika Police Station until tomorrow when the case will be tabled for hearing.

The officers were arrested on Saturday by their colleagues from Makongeni Police Station, who had trailed them to Muthaiga Police Station where Mr Wei, a Chinese, was being held.

They had arrested Wei on grounds that he was in the country illegally as he didn't have with him requisite documents for his stay and work in the country.

Thika DCIO Raphael Wawire told journalists last week that the police were in pursuit of three officers suspected to be from the Immigration Department who fled when the five police officers were arrested.