A middle aged man in Nakuru County is crying for justice in an inquiry case he filed against police officers from Bondeni Police station.
Johnson Kamau says this is in relation to an incident that happened on December 17, 2017.
In a letter to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution dated January 28 2020,Mr.Kamau states that officers from Bondeni Police station visited him at his home claiming that they needed some cash since there was some charcoal in his vehicle.
He however refused to comply to the officers’ demands and instead called 999 for help and the officer who received the call demanded to talk to one of the officers on the ground but they refused to talk to the 999.
The officers then towed the vehicle to the Police station.
Kamau in the letter to the ODPP also adds that the matter saw him held in custody on December 19,2019 at the Bondeni Police station.
It is while in custody that he learnt several similar cases where another man was also brought that he was found with a lorry full of charcoal and instead of being taken to court the officers at Bondeni Police station demanded a cash bail of Ksh 10,000.
Kamau is however surprised that he was released but without his vehicle and after a few days he was told to go collect the vehicle but he was not refunded the money he had paid.
He adds that then OCS Bondeni instructed that the charcoal be sold and a breakdown fee of Ksh 15,000 be submitted to the station of which he only managed Ksh 8,000.
It is at this point that he decided to reach out to the Nakuru East Sub county Police Commander through the Deputy following the damages on his vehicle and the expenses he had incurred.
His journey to seek justice has seen him receive threats from some of the people he terms as brokers and extortionist who might be working with police officers at Bondeni Police to extort money from people.
“As I was waiting for the Deputy Nakuru East Sub county Police Commander to write my report, I received a phone call from one Aguerro threatening me that I had stepped on a live wire. I walked out of the station and on 30th December 2019 I went back and reported the matter and at the same date I went to tom Bondeni Police station and reported the threat I had received from Aguero of OB NO.35 OF 30/12/2019 Bondeni” Kamau states in the letter to the ODPP.
He further states that on the course of investigation, he was told the vehicle must be taken to inspection to give room for investigation.
However, he wonders why after inspection he was never handed the vehicle.
The office of the Ombudsman through a letter dated February 25, 2020 to the Nakuru East Sub county Police Commander has also weighed in on the matter reiterating the complainant’s request to have his vehicle.
But in a response letter dated February 27, 2020 the Nakuru East Sub county Police Commander through Deputy Phanton Analo stated that, “the motor vehicle Registration Number KAU779D remains under this command as an exhibit in the ongoing inquiry until deliberation by ODPP.”
Speaking to this writer on Tuesday Morning in Nakuru Town, the complainant Johnson Kamau said he is sensing delay tactics by police officers in handling the inquiry file 1/2020 that was opened on March 17, 2020.
He says it has been a game of up and down as he tries to follow up with the matter from the CICO as well as police and ODPP.
He has now called on the agencies concerned to ensure the file is taken to court so that the matter can be concluded and justice served.
“Why should I suffer when seeking for my justice or is it because my case is touching on police officers?” he stated.