5 more ex-SSU cops arrested, to be arraigned over abduction
Five more police officers from the disbanded Special Service Unit (SSU) were arrested and arraigned over the disappearance of two Indians and a Kenyan.
The officers are Joseph Mwenda, David Chepcheng, Stephen Luseno, Paul Njogu, and Simon Muhunga.
Kahawa Law Courts Chief Magistrate Diana Mochache, on October 27, 2022, ordered their detainment at the Industrial Area police station until October 31, 2022.
Mochache said the court will decide if the suspects will be detained for another 30 days as police continue their probe.
The officers are accused of abducting and disappearing two Indianans— Mohamed Zaid and Zulfiqar Ahmad—and their Kenyan taxi driver, Nicodemus Mwania.
The Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) said the incident happened in July 2022, and police from the defunct SSU were involved.
Four other officers, on October 24, 2022, were arraigned in connection with the case. They are Peter Muthee, Francis Muendo, John Mwangi, and Joseph Kamau.
Mochache said she will consolidate the two cases.
DNA test
A leaked dispatch from the IAU unit said five suspects, the latest cohorts to be arraigned, are being investigated for two offenses: abduction and conspiracy to commit a felony.
President William Ruto disbanded SSU because it carried out extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
IAU wants a DNA test performed on the four suspects who were first arrested. It also demands a forensic audit of their phones.
“Preliminary investigations including the vehicles GPS and call data record places the suspects and their vehicles and other actors at the scene of the crime and possible location where their bodies were dumped,” IAU said in an affidavit.
Police Reforms Working Group Kenya called for sanctions immediately after Ruto disbanded SSU.
“We urge the IAU of the National Police Service to initiate an investigation into the activities of the SSU. and to make strong recommendations to the Inspector General of Police and Director of Public Prosecution to take action and seek justice and accountability,” the group said.
And the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) promised to deliver justice for all victims of SSU and other forces.
“No suspected police-committed death will go without investigation,” IPOA’s chairperson, Ann Makori, told a news conference.
