Magistrate Simon Temu at Kibera Law Courts has allowed an application to detain two police officers who the prosecution alleged that they were selling firearms and ammunition to members of public in Laikipia County.
The two police officer Chief Inspector Joel Githaiga and PC Martin Murimi will be destined until April 25.
The two officers are believed to have been selling ammunitions to the members of the public within within Laikipia County and its adjacent areas to commit criminal activities.
According to miscellaneous application, the ammunitions sold are believed to been used to commit crimes of murder and banditry within Laikipia County and adjacent counties where innocent lives were lost, people displaced and livestock stolen.
“That other suppliers and buyers of the ammunition are still at large and there is need to hold the suspect, conduct further investigations and make more arrests,” reads the application.
The prosecution said that officers from DCI headquarters acting at a tip from the public contacted a search in a land registered under the name of Josphat Maina where they recovered 51 boxes containing 2658 rounds of ammunitions of calliber 7.62 by 39mm.
However, according to the defense led by Lawyer Danstan Omari, the bullets in question were recovered on April 17, 2024 from a certain person called Maina in his house only for the police to intercept CI Joel Githaiga five days later as he was driving in his official police car.
“Contingent of more than 20 police officers stopped our client as he was driving together with his driver, told him to alight, a thorough search was contacted, they never recovered anything incriminating, they went to his house did a search and never found anything incriminating” submitted Omari.
According to Omari, the police decided to make an application in Court to detain CI Joel after they failed to recover any incriminating evidence from him.
