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Eight police officers from the disbanded Special Services Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations will spend a further 21 days in custody pending investigations on the abduction and killing of two Indians and their Kenyan taxi driver. 

Kahawa Law Court Chief magistrate Diana Mochache ordered the eight officers who are facing serious allegations should continue being detained at various police stations within Nairobi county until December 1, 2022.

Those detained are Peter Gachiku, John Kamau, Joseph Mbugua, Joseph Mbaya, David Kipsoi, Stephen Mutunda, Paul Muriithi and Simon Gikonyo.

While the court ordered officer Francis Muendo Ndonye to be released on a cash bail of Sh500,000 pending the probe, on condition that he should be visiting the investigation officer when required and not travel out of Nairobi county. 

Ndonye was released after his lawyer Clinton Mwale Litwaji filed affidavits showing that on the night of July 22 and July 23 when the offences are alleged to have been committed he was far away from the scene of the crimes and his handwriting was forged. 

Nature of investigations

 The court agreed with him that the officers did not need 30 days to investigate handwriting which the court indeed found to be different.

“Owing to the complex and multi-faceted nature of investigations, l hold the view that the applicants have demonstrated probable cause necessitating the continued detention of the eight officers, “ the magistrate said.

The nine officers are being investigated after being linked to the forceful disappearance of the missing Indians, Mohammed Said Sami and Zulfiqar Ahmed who are alleged to have travelled to Kenya during the election period and were working with a digital media team allied to President William Ruto.

While allowing the request by the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU), the court concurred with the unit that the investigations are complex, gradual and labour-intensive as they involve the extraction of mobile data, call data, DNA testing and further that the investigations will take a multi-agency approach including Mutual Legal Assistant through the government of India.