Senior AP officer linked to a Sh4.9 million robbery incident

A senior Administration Police officer has been linked to a robbery where goods on transit were stolen along Nakuru-Eldoret highway.

Lawyer Waiganjo Mwangi said several witnesses have linked Senior Superintendent John Murage to the incident. Murage was the officer in charge of Molo AP Camp at the time of the robbery.

AP officers Francis Karanja, Reuben Kimeli and Caroline Chebet, who were then attached to Molo Administration Police Line, have been charged with the robbery alongside Anne Njeri, Margaret Waithera, Paul Thiong’o, Peter Gitau, Daniel Nyabera and James Gathecha.

The suspects are alleged to have stolen assorted goods worth Sh4.9 million on February 7, 2012 from a vehicle. Waiganjo is representing Njeri and Waithera.

Assorted goods

The lawyer asked whether the investigating officer had taken any action against Murage. “John Murage AP SSP Molo has been mentioned several times. He allegedly instructed some officers to go get the goods,” said Waiganjo.

Retired police officer Joseph Kioko, who investigated the case, told the court Murage recorded a statement after he was mentioned in a case. But he said Murage was not involved in the robbery.

Further, Kioko said no one witnessed the robbery of the assorted goods. “I did not see them steal the goods and not even a single statement was recorded indicating someone saw them steal the goods,” said Kioko.

He, however, told the court the stolen goods were recovered at Molo AP Police Line in a house they believed belonged to Chebet.

Among the goods recovered from the house were 40 jerrycans of Top Fry Oil each 20 liters, 21 buckets of Karibu Cooking Oil each 17kg and 18 jericans of Top Fry cooking oil each ten litres.

Chief Inspector Charles Bundi, another witness, said they intercepted the vehicle along the Molo-Njoro road.

The vehicle had three occupants. The driver introduced himself as Daniel.

The driver said the goods belonged to a person he named as David. “We saw the goods inside the vehicle and asked the driver to take us to David, he lead us to Turi and showed us a home where we met Njeri,” said Bundi.

Njeri confirmed David lived with them. The officers, however, found nothing in the house.