At least 11 police officers have been arrested between February 12 and 25, 2022.

The officers of different ranks were suspected of committing various crimes, including theft, corruption, and assault.

In the latest incident, the Internal Affairs Unit of the National Police Service arrested and detained, one Robert Samoei a Senior DCI Officer at Capitol Hill Police station on February 25.

This was after the Director of Public Prosecutions approved criminal charges against him for abuse of office, corruption and further ordered that he be arrested and charged immediately.

The officer while working as DCIO in Mukaa Sub County of Makueni before he was redeployed to DCI Mazingira House, was investigated by IAU after a group of Maasai traders in Emali and Salama filed complaints against him for extortion, harassment, and abuse of office last year.

According to police records, the officer was found by IAU investigating team to have registered different Mpesa mobile numbers with a National ID card belonging to his girlfriend which he is alleged to have been using in the criminal quest.

Investigators said the girlfriend seemed unaware that her ID number was used by the accused officer to register a Safaricom Sim cards until she was called upon to assist with investigations.

Samoei was released on a cash bail of Ksh. 10,000 and is set to take plea on March 2, 2022, before Makueni Law courts.

The arrest of the officer is coming at time IAU last week arrested and charged Evans Kemboi, a police constable attached to Spring Valley Police Station, Nairobi.

Kemboi was accused of assaulting a member of the public along Jogoo Road on September 25, 2020. 

According to court documents, the victim was confronted by the police officer along Jogoo Road in the middle of a traffic jam for allegedly blocking his way.

On sensing danger, the victim reportedly fled and sought refuge at Jogoo Police Station. However, Constable Kemboi chased after him into the police station where he was reported to have assaulted assault him.

In the report, the  Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) of the National Police Service (NPS) indicated that the officer rained heavy blows and kicks on the helpless man whose cries fell on deaf ears.

Senior officers who were at the Station compound were accused of not intervening or stopping Kemboi from assaulting the victim. He was also accused of willingly and unlawfully damaging two side mirrors of the motorist’s vehicle worth Ksh30,000.

IAU investigated the matter after the man filed a complaint and forwarded the file to the Inspector General (IG) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) for perusal and guidance.

The ODPP preferred action to be taken against the top cops and the accused junior officer.  

“Despite cries for help, no one even senior officers who watched as the fracas unfolded, dared to intervene, they left a member of the public at the mercy of a rogue officer who apart from assault also damaged his car,” DPP report read in part.

“It is important to note that apart from Officer Kemboi facing criminal charges, ODPP further directed that two Senior Officers who were present, failed to act to prevent a crime and rescue the victim be dealt with by the Inspector General (IG) administratively for being negligent in their performance of duties,” it added.

Kemboi was released on Ksh15,000 cash bail. The case was set for a pre-trial on March 3, 2022.

In yet another case, three police officers were on February 22 arrested for indiscriminately apprehending civilians and extorting them for cash in Kariobangi, Nairobi County.

According to court documents, Administration Police Constable Francis Ouma, his counterpart Martin Mindelo and Police Constable Moses Basweti were arrested at Kariobangi roundabout around 9pm after a tip-off from area residents.

The trio was allegedly extorting area residents for not wearing face masks before Starehe Chief Inspector David Oleshani intervened.

The three suspects were soon after arrested at the same location and escorted to Huruma Police Station where a pair of handcuffs were retrieved from them.

On February 14, Thomas Odira Musasa, a police officer was on Monday arraigned in a Nairobi court over theft of materials used in the construction of the Nairobi Expressway.

Odira who is attached to the Criminal Investigation Patrol Unit (CIPU), was charged alongside four other suspects for stealing pipes worth Sh275,200.

Police said Musasa had been deployed to guard the expressway on Saturday, but he led his four accomplices namely Andrew Kones Ntikiya, Samuel Kariuki, Samuel Mutembei, and Ephantus Mwangi in the theft.

Two days earlier, four cops had been arrested in Buruburu, Nairobi for extorting from a liquor store.

Police officers Dennis Murisya Wambya, Wambua Nguku, Ben Wafula Wesankata and Raymond Kurui were arrested after members of the public complained that they were moving around asking for bribes from Wines and Spirits shop owners.

In another incident, an officer who is attached to the Anti-Stock Theft Unit was arrested on February 25, after a man complained he and other civilians robbed him of his Sh2.2 million.

He was to use the money to purchase a power saw in Kasarani on Thursday.

The victim was lured to the parking of a mall along Thika Road where he was handcuffed and robbed of the Sh2.2 million and other valuables.

The said robbers also sent Sh2,500 from the complainant’s mobile phone to one of them who is the police officer.

The complainant said they all left together, leaving him at the scene before he reported the matter to police on Thursday evening.

The accused officer was positively identified by the complainant and other witnesses.

A laptop believed to have been stolen from the complainant was recovered from the officer.