Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Former head of the disbanded Special Services Unit (SSU) Pius Gitari has been recalled from compulsory leave and transferred  to Mandera as the County Criminal Investigations Officer (CCIO).

Gitari’s deputy, Alfred Njoka, who too has also been on compulsory leave, has been posted to Western Regional Criminal Investigations Officer’s (RCIO) office.

The posting of the two senior officers came barely two days after nine junior SSU officers who had been detained over the disappearance of two Indians and their Kenyan taxi driver have been released on a free personal bond.

Kahawa Law Courts Chief Magistrate Diana Mochache, who has been appointed a High Court judge released the nine officers, Chief Inspector Peter Muthee, John Kamau, Joseph Mbugua, Joseph Mbaya, David Kipsoi, Stephen Mutunda, Paul Muriithi, Francis Ndonye and Simon Gikonyo who had been in police custody for almost 40 days on a personal bond.

Mochache (pictured), who received news of her appointment as a judge, rejected the prosecution’s application to have the nine officers detained for another additional 14 days to enable the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) complete investigations.

Instead Mochache directed the prosecution and defence teams to agree on a date when the DNA samples of the nine officers would be taken at the Government Chemist.

The magistrate varied her earlier order that the officers be escorted to National Forensic Laboratory at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for DNA and the same process to be conducted at the Government Chemist. This is after she was informed that the DNA section at the DCI laboratory is not operational.

Mochache also released four other officers Corporal Hillary Limo, Constable Elkana Mugendi, Constable Boniface Otieno and Constable Fredrick Thuku Kamau from the unit who were arrested on Wednesday and arraigned on Thursday under the same terms.

The officers’ lawyer Danstan Omari had opposed the prosecution saying the police had more than enough time to complete investigations as well as have the officers’ DNA tested but were instead engaged on a fishing expedition.

He argued that since there was no report or anything incriminating his clients,  the court should release the officers on bond.

Gitari, who now replaces Benedict Kigen in Mandera, was  sent on compulsory leave with  all other SSU officers on October 13, few days after then acting Inspector General of Police Noor Gabow announced that the unit had been disbanded.

A day after the move, President William Ruto disclosed he had directed the disbandment of the unit over alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings and cases of enforced disappearance.

This was to be the beginning of the crackdown on members of the unit, as days later, nine officers were arrested and detained over the alleged and disappearance of two Indians, Mohammed Said Sami and Zulfiqar Ahmed who are claimed to have travelled to Kenya during the election period and were working with a digital media team allied to President Ruto. Their Kenyan driver Nicodemus Mwania Mwange was abducted and has never been seen.

With the reinstatement of Gitari and his deputy, the fate of the junior officers who were sent on compulsory leave alongside them remains unknown.

 The officers who completed their 30 day compulsory leave last Tuesday have not heard any word from their seniors at Mazingira house despite reporting to office daily.