The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has for two times in a row moved court seeking to defer plea taking against two senior police officers facing allegations of harassment and Torture against a woman.
A move which the complainant believes is a way of delaying her search for justice after enduring a horrible experience allegedly in the hands of the two police officers.
The two police officers Rebecca Njeri Muraya and Abdisalam Ahmed were expected to answer their charges of alleged Torture and ordering arrest of Ayni Hussein Mahammud and detaining her at Muthaiga Police Station with intent to intimidate her from pursuing her harassment complaint.
However, when the two officers took the stand to answer for their charges, the prosecution quickly informed court that they would be applying to postpone the plea for 30 days to give DPP time to review the criminal files against the two officers.
However, the Advocate representing the complainant in court objected to grant of the 30 days saying the time sought to defer the plea was unreasonable and that the court should grant only 7 days.
The Lawyer said that the complainant lodged her complaint properly and the ODPP made the decision to charge hence the move to delay the case any longer is an attempt to delay her Justice.
“Since a charge sheet had been registered, is the review that is now being sought by the DPP tenable or are they being fanctus offio to that decision?” asked the Lawyer for the complainant.
He told court that the time being sought by the DPP is too long.
Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina in his ruling said that the 30 days sought by the prosecution to him was reasonable and granted the prosecution 30 days to review their file before charging the police officers.
The case will be mentioned on April 16, 2025.
