Kiambu Law Court has suspended bond for 15 disbanded Specia Service Unit Police officers suspected of abducting two Indian nationals and their Kenyan taxi driver in 2022.
Issuing the orders on Tuesday, Senior Principal Magistrate Boaz Ombewa said there was nothing abnormal as to how their release on bond was suspended.
The defence, led by Lawyer Danstan Omari, had raised an issue that the prosecution did not supply the Kiambu High Court with all the details of the case when they applied for suspending the ruling that granted the officers bond.
Ombewa also observed that the orders of his colleague, Principal Magistrate George Kiage to have the officers appear in court on Tuesday without issuing an arrest warrant were not irregular.
“In my view, this means that they are taken back to the position when they were before being granted bond,” he stated.
He also dismissed the defence’s argument that the suspension of bond should only apply to the officers who had not been released before the High Court’s orders.
The Magistrate said the same applied to all the suspects.
“It is my view that I have no jurisdiction to vary the High Court order. I do not agree that the stay order does not apply or does not affect the status of the accused persons out of bond,” he said.
The officers in the case are drawn from various agencies including DCI’s disbanded Special Service Unit (SSU), the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
They include Chief Inspector Peter Muthee Gachiku, James Kibosek Tanki, Joseph Kamau Mbugua, David Chepchieng Kinsei, Joseph Mwenda Mbaya, John Mwangi Kamau, Hillary Limo Kipchumba, Stephen Luseno Matunda, Simon Muhuga Gikenyo, Paul Njogu Muriithi, Boniface Otieno Mtulla, Elikana Njeru Mugendi, Fredrick Thuku Kamau, National Intelligence Service (NIS) officer John Wanjiku Macharia and senior Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officer Michael Kiplangat Bett.
They are suspected of abducting Mohamed Kidwai and Zulfiqar Khan and their driver Nicodemus Mwania Mwange along Southern Bypass near Ole Sereni Hotel on July 23, 2022.
