Eldoret-based officer in court over threatening texts to ex-wife and others

Eldoret based police officer Wycliffe Ombede at a Milimani court on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

An Eldoret based police officer yesterday denied sending threatening messages to his estranged wife and other people.

Wycliffe Ombede,35, appeared before Chief Magistrate Wendy Kagendo where he was charged with the charge of threatening to kill Grace Terezy Malalo. In the first count he was accused that on December 22,2020 at Ngong area, he uttered words threatening to kill Malalo by saying “I will kill you today so say your last words to your mother before I kill you”.

Ombede faced the second count which stated that on the same day and place he uttered words threatening to kill Paul Mwakaso Malalo by saying, “I will kill you today”.

The third charge was that on diverse dates between November 1, 2020 and May 24, 2021 at an unknown place within the country he continuously sent text messages to Malalo knowing them to be false and calculated to cause fear and negatively affect the character of his estranged wife.

Another charge was that on diverse dates between November 01, 2020 and May 14, 2021 at an unknown place within the country he continuously sent text messages to Duncan Msafiri Mwanjeu knowing them to be false and calculated to cause fear and detrimentally affect the character of Mwanjeu

The fifth count read that on diverse dates in the month of May 2021 at an unknown place within the country he continuously made phone calls to John Mbugua calculated to cause fear to Mbugua.

According to the police report, the accused committed the offense when he was still a police officer to Lunga Lunga police station, Msambweni sub-county in  Kwale County while Malalo  was a student at KMTC Karen campus.

The accused defense team asked the court to grant him a lenient bail term claiming that he was a police officer who knows the law and what’s required of him when having a case and that he was arrested in Eldoret and brought all the way from there to take a plea in Nairobi.

“Your honour the issue here surrounds matrimonial matters whereby the accused is the husband to the complainant and he’s a police officer with two children. The other complainants are people to be considered as third party,” said the defense.