A bodyguard attached to Prime Minister Raila Odinga held over Friday's abortive carjacking and one of his accomplices had a bad disciplinary record, according to their police colleagues.
The police constable, identified only as Mbaluka, was assigned to guard Raila's rural home in Bondo in 2009. He was supposed to be on duty there on Friday when he attempted to hijack a long distance truck driver with constables Martin Mwai and another policeman identified only as Itabalia.
Mwai and Itabalia are assigned to the Nairobi provincial police headquarters and Kabete police station respectively. Police headquarters said the three constables who joined the force in 2008 were fired following their attempted robbery of the Simcon Freight driver at Muthiga shopping centre along the Nakuru-Nairobi highway. The three this morning are expected to face charges of robbery with violence. Police found Sh40,000 in fake currency in Mwai's home and he is likely to face charges of dealing with counterfeit currency.
Mbaluka was supposed to be on duty at Raila's rural home but had not informed the Bondo police boss that he would be absent. Last year he was sent away from Bondo for some time but returned there in December. The three policemen joined the force in 2008, according to police sources. Mbaluka and Mwai have reportedly been involved in several disciplinary cases since their recruitment.
Mbaluka had on two previous occasions been implicated in carjacking, most recently in February. Mwai apparently faced internal disciplinary measures for dealing in fake currency.
Attempts to independently verify these allegations were fruitless as the police records office does not operate on weekends. Colleagues said senior policemen had always intervened and protected them from disciplinary action. "They seem to have godfathers who always intervened whenever they were caught," said a Kabete policeman who wished to remain anonymous.
The three policemen were arrested when one went to Central Police Station to report he had lost his Ceska pistol following an attack at Muthurwa. He did not realise that the truck driver had earlier reported the attempted carjacking and robbery to Kabete police.
The driver had described how he and others had overpowered two hijackers, snatched the pistol from one of them, and hurled it into the bushes forcing their attackers to flee.
Investigating officers said they suspected the three were part of a huge syndicate responsible for robberies on the highway. Long distance drivers operating between Mombasa and Malaba have been complaining about a recent upsurge in hijackings.
Those trucking fuel say they are usually attacked by people dressed in police uniforms who know details about their security escort. Most trucks are escorted by police and Kenya Revenue Authority officials to the border to ensure they leave the country. However, the long gaps between escort vehicles and trucks leaves them vulnerable to attacks. The truckers say the highway patrols introduced with much fanfare a few years ago are no longer being conducted.
Yesterday, city lawyer Cliff Ombeta, who intends to represent the three suspects in court today, said he had objected to the police holding the identification parade at the Kabete police station yesterday.
He said he expected his clients to be charged with several counts including dereliction of duty; being in possession of a firearm while off duty; and having fake currency among others. "They will be arraigned in court today and that’s when we shall be able to know all the charges police have against them,” said Ombeta.
A blue Toyota Premio car which the three policemen hired and used to carry out the robberies is still being held at the Central Police Station.
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