Former Subukia OCPD links John M'mbijiwe to Joshua Waiganjo

From left: Joshua Waiganjo, former Rift Valley provincial police boss John M’Mbijiwe, and the former Anti-Stock Theft Unit commandant Remi Ngugi in a Nakuru court on Wednesday. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

A police officer Thursday claimed that her boss summoned her to explain why she had refused to release cars linked to a man who has been accused of impersonating a policeman.

Former Subukia police boss Jacinta Wesonga told the court that a man claiming to be Joshua Waiganjo’s brother produced documents, including an affidavit, in efforts to convince her officers to release the vehicles they had impounded. Waiganjo is facing charges of impersonating a police officer.

Wesonga, now the Nyeri County police boss, said soon after receiving the court documents, a former Rift Valley police boss, John M’Mbijiwe, called her and ordered that the vehicles be released.

“However, the documents were not court orders because after a thorough check, I realised they were affidavits, notices of motion, and a certificate of urgency,” said Ms Wesonga.

She said she refused to release the vehicles until a valid court order was served.

“M’Mbijiwe said he could not work with me since I had refused to obey orders,” she said.

She said officers had detained the cars on suspicion that there were plans to use them to commit a crime.

Wesonga said she was summon by the provincial police officer (PPO) when she told him that there were no court orders for the release of the cars. The PPO then reportedly introduced her to Waiganjo.

A court order was obtained later but one of the vehicles could not be released as its ownership was contested.

“A man came to claim ownership of car KZL 957. He claimed it was stolen from him in Nakuru and we couldn’t release it as we had to investigate the matter. The other motor vehicle, KAH 331B TATA, was, however, released,” said Wesonga.

The police officer said when she returned from her off a few days later, she found that the contested vehicle had been released to a lawyer and ‘a gentleman’ on the instructions of M’Mbijiwe.

An Occurrence Book (OB) entry - OB 13/30/8/2012 of August 30, 2012 - indicated that the then officer commanding police station, Biot Wafula, had released the car to Kariuki Waiganjo, a brother of Joshua Waiganjo.

“At 1630 hours, Mr Biot Wafula Mirugi, under instructions of M’Mbijiwe, handed over an Isuzu lorry to Kariuki Waiganjo, brother of Joshua Waiganjo. As per court order directed to the PPO, now KZL 957 released,” reads the OB.

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