Tuesday, March 26, 2024 - The case on the abduction and subsequent disappearance of two Indian nationals and one Kenyan involving 15 officers from the former Special Services Unit (SSU) of the DCI today took off for hearing before Kahawa Law Courts Principal Magistrate Hon. Gideon Kiage.
The accused
persons Chief Inspector Peter Muthee Gachiku, IP James Kibosek Tanuki, Cpl
Joseph Kamau Mbugua, Cpl David Chepchieng Kipsoi, Cpl Joseph Mwenda Mbaya, Cpl
John Mwangi Kamau, Cpl Hillary Limo Kipchumba, Pc Stephen Luseno Matunda, Pc
Simon Muhuga Gikonyo, Pc Paul Njogu Muriithi, Pc/Drv Boniface Otieno Mtulla, Pc
Elikana Njeru Mugendi, Pc Fredrick Thuku Kamau, John Wanjiku Macharia and
Michael Kiplangat Bett are alleged to have committed the offence on the victims
Zulfiqar Ahmed Khan and Mohammed Zaid Sami and Nicodemus Mwania Mwange on
diverse dates between 22nd July and 23rd July 2022 at Nairobi County.
The prosecution in
their opening statement gave the court a chronology of how the heinous act
which was well planned and executed with enormous resources utilized was
committed, from how they were trailed by officers from the defunct SSU,
continuous location of their mobile phones by the National Intelligence Service
officers as well as abduction and Kenya Wildlife Service officers facilitating
the alleged disposal of the victims at the Aberdare National Park in Nyeri
county.
The prosecution led by Jalson Makori and Harrison Kiarie also told the court that they will be relying on testimonies from 30 witnesses to prove the case against the accused persons.
In his testimony, the first witness told the court that he and his
co-investigators from the directorate of criminal investigations were assigned the duty to investigate and apprehend the suspects accused of committing the crime.
He noted that during their investigations,
they identified three vehicles registration numbers KDD 632J, KDH 262S, and KDG
836X that were believed to have been used in the trailing and subsequent
abduction of the three victims.
He added that on the 6th of October 2022, led
by lead investigator they visited Michele Gardens in South B where they located
one of the vehicles KDH262S being in possession of Edward Kamau Wanjiku at the
time of impounding it who upon interrogations introduced the owner Mr. Fabian
Mjomba Koshen.
He escorted the two to South B police station
and booked the detention of the car and handed over the keys to the OCS Chief
Inspector Robert Mbui of South B station under OB Number 16 of 6th October
2022.
Later he escorted
the two to internal affairs unit offices at KCB towers in upper hill Nairobi
for interrogations.
He further told
court that they continued with the operation and located KDD 632J Nissan Note
at CIC plaza in possession of Ms. Evaline Waithera Wanjiku who was taken to
custody. After brief interrogation she introduced another suspect John Macharia
Wanjiku.
Consequently, they
dropped the car at Capitol hill police station where it was booked for
detention under OB 22 of 6th October 2022. She also led them to a rented
apartment in Kinoo where a search was undertaken but didn't yield much of
material evidence.
After a brief interview on the evening of
6/10/2022, he booked the three suspects into custody John Macharia Wanjiku at
Kilimani police station under OB number 7 of 6 October 2022, Edward Kamau
Wanjiku Capitol Hill Police station under OB number 29 of 6th October 2022 and
Fabian Mjomba Koshen Capitol Hill Police station OB number 29 of 6th October
2022.
He added that on
19th October 2022, as a team of investigators, they proceeded to Aberdare
National Park in Nyeri where they conducted a search and collected exhibits
which were forwarded to the government chemist at Kenyatta National Hospital.
He notes that
their visit to Aberdare was informed by the vehicle tracking logs retrieved
from the vehicle suspected to have been used in the crime as per the data.
The Kenyan DAILY POST.
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