Three arrested as Samburu OCS rejects Ksh.80,000 bribe

Detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) have arrested three individuals, among them a police officer and prison warder, for attempting to bribe a senior police officer in Samburu County.

The trio reportedly offered the bribe of Ksh.80,000 to secure the release of one of their acquaintances who had been detained at Archers Post Police Station.

EACC launched investigations after Chief Inspector Andrew Nyabicha, the OCS Archers Post Police Station, submitted a complaint on the same.

Subsequently EACC, through detectives drawn from its Isiolo offices on Wednesday apprehended the three suspects.

They are; Police Constable George Guyo (the OCS' driver), Isiolo-stationed Prison Warder Hassan Sheikh and Mohammed Maalim Abbas, a relative of the aforesaid offender, Mohamed Musdaf Mahamad, who was being detained on suspicion of robbery.

"The suspect who sought to be released through the botched bribery scheme had earlier robbed three Ethiopian female national who he had smuggled into the country using his vehicle on February 23," a source at EACC told Citizen Digital.

"On reaching Ol donyo Sabach hill, Isiolo-Moyale highway, he diverted to the nearest thicket where he robbed the foreigners of their belongings including mobile phones, unknown amount of cash and other personal belongings and drove away to Nairobi."  

The illegal foreigners were rescued by a good Samaritan who reached out to the officers who subsequently launched a manhunt for the suspect.

Two days later, police arrested the suspect who was enroute to Moyale from Nairobi. He was booked at Archers Post Police station pending arraignment where he was set to be charged with robbery, forgery and smuggling.

On February 26, 2024, Hassan Sheikh Mohamed, Mohamed Maalim Abass, and PC Bonaya Guyo approached the Archers Post Police Station with a proposal, seeking the unconditional release of the robbery suspect.

PC Guyo, acting as a messenger, relayed the proposition to the OCS.

"When the bribe offer was made, the OCS immediately filed a complaint with EACC and jointly mounted an operation on 27th February 2024 leading to the arrest of the individuals," said the EACC source.

"They were arrested while handing over the amount to the OCS. The suspects were escorted to EACC Upper Eastern Regional Offices in Isiolo where they were processed and released on cash bail pending arraignment after completion of the investigation process."

EACC subsequently lauded Nyabicha for his exemplary action urging other police officers to borrow a page from his book.