In Kiambu County, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission apprehended two police officers after they demanded Sh50,000 to “motivate” them to release an impounded vehicle.
The two, a junior officer and the deputy OCS at a nearby police station who was serving as the OCS at the time, were taken into custody on Monday night.
Despite the complainant obtaining and delivering to the acting OCS a court order for the vehicle’s release, it had been impounded for nearly two months.
They were detained in Kilimani station in the wake of their arrest and processing at the Integrity Center Police Station.
Following investigations into claims that the complainant was detained on July 26, 2023 while moving gas cylinders to his place of business in Githunguri, EACC took action.
The plaintiff was charged with using an unauthorized saloon automobile to transfer the cylinders.
It was then impounded and held at the police station by the cops.
He was brought before Githunguri Law Courts the following day and accused of carrying gas cylinders in an unauthorized vehicle.
The magistrate approved the man’s request to have the car returned to him after releasing him on a Sh70,000 bond.
The Deputy OCS was instructed to release the car immediately and without conditions.
The plaintiff went to the police station with the order in hand to get his car, but the officer in charge would not follow it.
He stated that the car should not be returned and did not provide any justification for his decision, which was against the court’s directive.
A week later, the guy received a call from the junior officer informing him that the deputy OCS wanted to speak with him to discuss how to have the vehicle returned to him in a way that would benefit both parties.
When the complainant left, the deputy OCS insisted on paying a statutory charge of Sh50,000 to get the car released.
The officer refused to budge and told him to leave the station until the day he received the money, despite his repeated requests for the car to be released in accordance with the court ruling.
At this point, the complaint asked the EACC to get involved, and the investigation that proved the aforementioned was started.
The anti-graft agency launched an operation after investigating the claims, which resulted in the junior officer and acting OCS being taken into custody.
As soon as the requested “motivation fee” was paid, they were instantly detained at the station.
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