An increasing number of security officers, particularly from the National Police Service, have been implicated in violent crimes in recent months. An independent investigation has revealed that more than 20 officers are currently under investigation, mostly for robbery with violence. Additionally, at least five police officers and a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier have been arrested for involvement in robberies over the past fortnight.
The most recent arrest occurred on Thursday when an off-duty KDF soldier based in Wajir was apprehended for robbing a man of his valuables along Racecourse Road in Nairobi.
Police are currently pursuing two of his accomplices—one of whom is from Nyakach Sub-County—who fled the scene immediately after the robbery.
The victim, Jonathan Mboya, a resident of Kayole, was attacked by the three near St Peter’s Clavers Church at around 4 am while heading to the bus stage. According to police reports, the assailants were armed with crude weapons and injured him before stealing his belongings.
Nairobi Central Sub-County Police Commander Stephen Okal stated that the soldier and his accomplices robbed Mboya of Ksh 15,000, a mattress, a mobile phone, and a television set, among other items.
“Police officers on patrol rushed to the scene and managed to arrest one suspect, a KDF officer, Private Linus Brian Otieno, based in Wajir County, who was positively identified by the victim,” reads a police report.
The police commander confirmed that the soldier had been handed over to the Military Police for further action as investigations continued.
“Reports indicate that some rogue police officers are involved in violent crimes, including robbery with violence. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that they are usually armed and have insider knowledge of police deployment in the city,” a senior officer told People Daily.
Two weeks ago, two General Service Unit (GSU) officers and a civilian were arrested during a botched robbery in Githurai, Kasarani Sub-County.
Constables Fredrick Githinji Waithera and Edward Chege Mwangi, both GSU officers, and Kelvin Chomba were arrested by undercover officers from Githurai Police Post while attempting to rob Samuel Kimani.
“They had pinned down the victim as they were robbing him when officers on patrol arrived at the scene,” a police statement reads.
Upon interrogation, two of the suspects identified themselves as GSU officers attached to Recce and operations units.
Detectives from the Kasarani Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have since launched an inquiry and recorded a statement from the victim.
Around the same time, a detective from the DCI was arrested after a ballistic analysis linked his service firearm to a robbery in which a victim was shot and seriously injured.
Constable Dennis Wafula Wanabisi, attached to Kibwezi DCI, and three other armed robbers—dressed in jungle uniforms—raided a bar at Yikisaya Trading Centre, Kibwezi Sub-County, on 22nd July 2024.
The gang threatened bar attendants and customers, ordering them to surrender their belongings. During the robbery, a bar attendant was shot in the stomach and sustained severe injuries. The assailants made away with Ksh 50,000.
“The gang then proceeded to Darajani Shopping Centre, where they forced their way into Seton Night Club. There, they fired two shots into the air before robbing bar attendants and customers of Ksh 25,850 and two mobile phones,” the DCI headquarters reported.
A report released by the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) in December last year also highlighted a worrying trend of police officers engaging in criminal activities.
The report indicated that crime rates had surged, with 104,769 incidents recorded compared to 97,301 the previous year.
Notably, 203 offences involving police officers as either accomplices or primary suspects were documented—a sharp rise from the 131 cases recorded the year before.
Some of the crimes allegedly committed by officers include human trafficking, direct participation in violent crimes, and leasing firearms to criminal gangs.
Additionally, some rogue officers are accused of colluding with criminals by deliberately ignoring their activities, effectively enabling them or acting as accomplices.
