Top cop disarmed at curfew roadblock

A senior police officer attached to President Uhuru Kenyatta's escort team was disarmed and detained following a scuffle at a roadblock erected to effect the dusk-to-dawn curfew.

Officers manning the roadblock arrested the man, who is a superintendent of police attached to the Presidential Escort Unit (Prescot), on Sunday, accusing him of being rude. He was released in the morning unconditionally.

Prescot is charged with protecting the president and his family. The officer reportedly argued with the head of the multi-agency team that is leading operations on the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

The scuffle came amid reports that more General Service Unit officers would be deployed to man roadblocks.

According to the available data, at least 60 security officers have been subjected to disciplinary action for contravening curfew orders.

Since the 7pm to 5am curfew was imposed on March 27, about 100 officers from different services have been arrested in several parts of the country.

The National Police Service leads with the number of officers so far arrested, according to the arrest records, which additionally indicate that other officers have been accused of various criminal activities and drunkenness.

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and Prisons officers have also found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

Police said the arrested officers were either taken to mandatory quarantine or subjected to internal disciplinary proceedings.

Scared off

On Saturday night, a chief inspector attached to Vigilance House, a constable attached to the Disaster Management Unit and a civilian were arrested after they attacked an officer who had advised them to proceed to their residences and observe curfew orders.

They tried to disarm him, prompting the officer to fire in the air to scare them off. The three were later arrested, which is when two were found to be officers and the other a civilian residing at the Westpark police quarters.

On the same day, four Prisons Service officers and another officer attached to the Garissa Police Station were arrested at Landi Mawe, Industrial Area. They had locked themselves in a bar to drink alcohol. They were also arrested alongside five civilians.

All soldiers who have been arrested were handed over to the Military Police.

The curfew orders were imposed by President Kenyatta to ensure, among other things, social distancing in a bid to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Apart from the security officers, a deputy county commissioner, an MP, a judicial official, a senior military commander, a former MP, a singer among others have been arrested for contravening the orders.

On Sunday morning, the singer was arrested alongside 13 other people while partying in Runda, Nairobi.