A police officer attached to the Mombasa Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), whose firearm was recovered in Nairobi, has been detained alongside her civilian husband and two others for interrogation over an array of suspected crimes. null
Bridget Wanjiku Kamau, the DCIO Mombasa, was cuddling her three-month-old baby when she appeared before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate David Ndungi on Thursday.
Ms Kamau was brought before Mr Ndungi, alongside her husband Geoffrey Maina Njuguna, and Chris Mwangangi Musyoka and Lucia Wanjiku Mutunga.
While urging the magistrate to remand the four for 14 days, State Prosecutor Abel Omariba said investigators will establish how the official firearm issued to Ms Kamau ended up in the hands of her husband me Maina in Nairobi, yet it was supposed to be with her in Mombasa.
Mr Omariba said the four are being investigated for illegal possession of firearms, preparation to commit offences of forgery, impersonation of public officers and giving false information to a person employed in the public service.
Suspicious car
He added that police spotted a suspicious car, a Toyota Land Cruiser, black in colour, being driven from Ngong Road to Ring Road, Kilimani past Yaya Centre “with no front number plate affixed”.
The prosecutor said police flagged the vehicle, which was being driven by Chris Mwangangi, to stop. Ms Mutunga was a passenger in the suspect vehicle.
Upon interrogation, Mr Mwangangi disclosed to the police that the vehicle belonged to Mr Maina.
“Police conducted a thorough search of the vehicle driven by Mwangangi then recovered two firearms,” Mr Omariba said.
One of the firearms, a Ceska pistol, had its serial number erased from the body while the other bore a serial number resembling a government of Kenya firearm,” Mr Omariba told the court.
Mr Ndungi heard that Mr Maina drove to Kilimani Police Station where Mr Mwangangi had driven the Land Cruiser.
No front number plate
“The third respondent (Maina) also drove into the station in a Mercedes Benz, silver in colour, also with the front number plate not affixed,” Mr Omariba stated.
He said again, police conducted a search on Maina’s Mercedes Benz and they recovered a magazine for the Ceska pistol with seven rounds of ammunition alongside a police pocket phone and two handcuffs bearing serial numbers resembling those of the government of Kenya.
Maina claimed the firearms belonged to his wife, Bridget Wanjiku Kamau, “a serving police officer stationed in the Coast region”.
Mr Omariba stated that the investigating officer, Inspector Hezron Kimutai, had sworn that it is suspected the two motor vehicles — KCH 888F and KBR 786Z — were stolen vehicles.
The magistrate was told that police need to liaise with several government agencies since Mr Maina alleged he was working with the Presidents Delivery Unit.
Run-ins with DCI
Mr Ndungi was also told that the police officer “has had run-ins with DCI Parklands, her former work station, about suspicious stolen vehicles”.
The court was urged to allow the police detain the suspects for 14 days to carry out extensive investigations about the suspects’ connections with the Interior ministry, the National Police Service, the Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Bankers Association and the National Transport and Safety Authority to ascertain the documents recovered from them.null
But the 14-day detention period plea was vehemently opposed by defence lawyers Sheila Mengesa and Geoffrey Sore, who said the rights of the suspects had been violated.
Ms Mengesa said the suspects were arrested on August 17 then kept in custody until August 19, contrary to Article 49 of the Constitution which safeguards suspects’ rights.
Fundamental rights
She said the fundamental rights of the suspects require they be admitted to bond.
Ms Mengesa said Ms Mutunga has an eight-months-old baby while Bridget has a three-month-old child who need to be safeguarded against contracting the deadly Covid-19.
“I urge this court to reject the 14 days sought by the prosecution as it’s an affront to the fundamental and constitutional rights of the suspects,” Ms Mengesa said.
Other defence lawyers said Ms Kamau is a serving police officer and cannot be criminalised for having the gun issued to her by the Kenya government.
But Mr Omariba in a rejoinder stated that “the firearm and other government stores recovered from Maina are government property not meant for the couple but issued specifically to Bridget for use during her official duties”.
Mr Ndungi directed the suspects to be remanded in police custody until August 20, 2021 when he will deliver a substantive ruling on whether to detain them for the 14 days sought by the Director of Public Prosecutions through Mr Omariba or not.
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