Four men among them former sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa’s bodyguard have been charged with giving false information and being in possession of police gear.
Koffi Bill Atinda, Kennedy Otieno Omwanda, Kennedy Otieno Odhiambo and the bodyguard Aziz Ali Keeyokia allegedly committed the offences between 15 and 17th May 2024.
Atinda is charged with giving police false information during a road block stop on 15th May 2024 along Narayan road in Parklands, Nairobi.
During the stop, Atinda allegedly informed two police officers, IP Onesmus Mutua and IP Yusuf Naiwet that he was an officer of the rank of a Captain in the Kenya Defense Forces in order to prompt the traffic officers from arresting him as well as conducting a search on the vehicle he was driving.
Atinda is also charged with unlawfully being in possession of two papers intended to resemble and pass as 200 United States Dollars and 13 black unmarked papers, knowing them to be forged.
In addition, Atinda is facing more charges of forging registration certificate documents, Contractor Annual Practising Licence among other documents.
On the other hand, Omwanda is charged with being in possession of a public radio call make Motorola, the property of the National Police Service which is reasonably suspected to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained.
Odhiambo is charged with being in possession of three tear gas canisters, the property of Kenya Prison Service, such property being reasonably suspected to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained.
The two are alleged to have committed the offence on 16th May 2024, at Kibra and Jamhuri area respectively.
Keeyokia, the bodyguard and a police officer, is charged with wilfully neglecting to surrender 14 blanks of ammunition to armoury, a duty he is dutifully bound to perform under the National Police Service Act.
The officer is alleged to have committed the offence on 17th May 2024 at Kizito area in Mwihoko, Kiambu County.
They all denied the charges before Senior Principal Magistrate Robinson Ondieki.
Bail opposition
The prosecution made an application opposing the release of the accused persons on bail on grounds that they are a flight risk and may interfere with investigations.
Further, the court heard that the accused are likely to intimidate the state witnesses in the case.
However, the defence counsel Francis Kalwa opposed the application on grounds that some of the accused persons are police officers who are employed in the public service, hence their residential place is well known to the government.
“Because of the nature of the accused persons’ jobs, they are unlikely to interfere with witnesses who happen to be police officers unless police officers lack trust in each other and feel intimidated,” Kalwa added.
It was his submission that the accused persons have been cooperating with the investigating officers and there is no reason to be denied bail.
The court will deliver the ruling on the bail application on Wednesday 22nd May.
