Inside the world of rogue cop

By Standard reporter

The latest incident on how Kenyan police are turning rogue happened last Monday, when a senior police officer, Inspector Ndung’u Njoroge, armed with a gun chased away traffic police officers from an accident scene on Outering Road, Nairobi. The Inspector was involved in an accident with another motorist. When traffic officers arrived, he drew his gun and started shooting as he chased them away. Hours before the incident, another police officer was captured on camera totally drunk in Nakuru. Even from those cases, it’s not surprising that when the Inspector-General of Police David Kimaiyo released the Comparative Crime Statistics for January – May 2011, 2012 and 2012, the figures indicated more officers are turning to crime.

However, what was shocking was the indication that not a single police officer solicited a bribe in 2012 and 2013. According to the report, no officer accepted a bribe or a free gift from 2011 to May, this year.

A total of 45 officers were found to have committed other criminal offences in 2013, an increase of 33 from the previous year, which represents a 275 per cent increase. Those found guilty were 15 in 2011.

Information gleaned from police insiders and archives of crime as reported by media point to the fact that the Inspector-General’s figures are false.

Cops gone rogue is an investigative series whose main aim is to highlight rogue police officers, since a gun and a uniform should not be an excuse to commit crime.

Our investigations reveal that rarely are internal inquires opened after criminal activities involving police officers are reported. Indeed, there have been claims of extensive cover-ups and planting of evidence.

Today, we start the series with the story of a top cop, Daniel Seronei, who hunted down Kenya’s most wanted criminals, but was shot by rogue officers who have since risen through the ranks in the police force.