Disbanded elite DCI unit on spot over abductions

The disbanded three-year old elite Special Services Unit (SSU) of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations is in the eye of a storm following reports that its officers could have been behind the abduction and disappearance of two Indian IT specialists.

Speaking in Kericho yesterday, President William Ruto said he had personally ordered the disbandment of the elite unit, accusing it of being responsible for a spate of extra-judicial killings in the country.

“Mimi mwenyere niliamuru kuvunjwa kwa hicho kikosi sijui Special what. Our people were being found murdered and their bodies dumped in River Yala and other places. That is the sort of history we want to forget as a nation,” the President said.

Mohamed Zaid Sami Kidwai, Zulfiqar Ahmed Khan and their driver Nicodemus Mwania were reportedly abducted near Ole Sereni area on July 25 and driven away in an unmarked car.

However, following interference by some senior DCI officers, the acting Inspector General Noor Gabow on September 15 directed that the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) takes over the investigations.

New DCI boss Mohammed Amin, then the IAU director, led the investigations and took over the inquiry file from Langata DCI officers.

Preliminary investigations revealed that two vehicles belonging to SSU were involved in abduction of the Indians said to have come to the country to join President Ruto’s election campaigns’ ICT team in April. Head of SSU Pius Gitari has been removed and all his officers disarmed awaiting deployment.

“The two DCI vehicles have been impounded by IAU detectives,” a senior officer told People Daily.

The IAU investigation team has grilled several detectives and a woman working with an insurance company based in Upper Hill, Nairobi.

“The woman confirmed that she had given one of the vehicles used in the operation to her boyfriend who works with a State security agency but did not know what they were going to do with the car,” another source said.

On Thursday last week, Amin briefed the President on the status of investigations on the missing Indians. Their car was blocked and they were picked up by armed men who left with them leaving their car at the scene.

Lawyer Ahmednassir Abdulahi moved to court and obtained orders that the three missing persons be produced in court, and the case was mentioned on August 4. Team commenced the probe and obtained details of the vehicle that was used in the alleged abduction, assessed CCTV cameras from the scene of the abduction.

Car hire business

Among the suspects arrested include Edward Kamau and Fabian  Koshn. They were arrested on suspicion that a car they co-own was used as a getaway vehicle to take away the three.

They had a car hire business in South B.

The two were taken to court and the court ordered that they be detained as detectives finalise investigations.

“From the time the applicant took over investigations, and in the course of gathering evidence, it has faced interference from serving public servants including police officers,” court documents read.

Other reports indicated that the Indians could have been picked up and driven to Eldoret, as some of their phones were active two days after the abduction.

The team suspected to have abducted the foreigners is also said to have also attempted to abduct a senior United Democratic Alliance (UDA) official at Bomas during the tallying of votes, according to other sources.

SSU has in the past been complemented for busting serious crimes. However, in August 2020, some of the officers attached to the Unit were arrested after they were found to have travelled to Matuu to extort money. Unit, formerly known as the Special Crime Prevention Unit (SCPU), was formed after former DCI boss George Kinoti disbanded the dreaded Flying Squad Unit and at the same time scaled down to a smaller unit, SCPU, and renamed it SSU.

Flying Squad was disbanded in December 2019 following reports that it was not effective and people-friendly but riddled by corruption. Some of the officers attached to the unit were also found to be aged and unable to conduct swift and delicate operations.

Kinoti also scaled down the defunct Special Crime Prevention Unit to a smaller one only based at the headquarters in Nairobi.

It was renamed the SSU and the officers deployed to the unit were to undergo intense training both locally and internationally to enhance their competencies, skills and knowledge.

About 85 officers of the ranks of Sergeant, Corporal and Constables were then transferred from the unit and posted to other stations across the country.

In August 2020, SSU was also condemned following the manner in which they arrested five senators, including Cleophas Malalah.