Editor's Review

Three IPOA officers have been charged with stealing murder investigation files from the authority offices.

Three officers from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) have today, May 31, 2021, been charged with stealing murder investigation files from the authority offices in Nairobi. 

The trio, Record Manager Nobert Ouko Opeyo, Bernard Ochieng Okello and David Bahati Okunda were accused of stealing the files from the authority's 1st Ngong Avenue ACK Annexe building headquarters on separate dates between December 1, 2020 and May 29, 2021.

They were charged with stealing files, IPOA/INV/002209/2018, IPOA/INV/000899/2017 and assorted investigations documents whose values remain unknown.

They denied the charges and sought to be released on bail. The prosecution, however, rejected the appeal, arguing that more files are believed to have gone missing at the oversight authority, requesting for more to conclude investigations.

Prosecutor Abel Gichana asked Magistrate Daniel Ngugi to allow him more time to ensure safety of witnesses before the accused can be set free on bail.

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"There are other accomplices at large and releasing the three suspects on bail will jeopardise our attempts to apprehend them.

"The matter is of great public interest, the scales of justice should tilt in favour of the prosecution," Gichana told the court.

Defence lawyer Businge Robert refuted the prosecution's appeal, arguing that the request to detain his clients should have been made before they were charged.