Retired Senior Police Officer Charged with Killing Man over Wire Mesh Worth KES 1,000

Retired Commissioner of Police Michael Mbugua and two others have been charged with killing a farmhand whom they accused of stealing a wire mesh valued at Ksh.1,000.

The three, Michael Mbugua, Christopher Njau Mbugua and Charles Kinyanjui Mbugua appeared before Justice Kanyi Kimondo where they were charged with killing George Njui on 23rd of December Last year at Riruta in Dagoretti, Nairobi County.

They all pleaded not guilty.

However, the DCI opposed their release on bail arguing that some of the key witnesses have been unwilling to be involved in the case out of fear of Mbugua who retired recently from the Administration Police Service.

“Some other key witnesses who were able to identify (Njau and Kinyanjui) at a secondary scene away from Mr Mbugua’s house have since developed cold feet in as far as cooperating with the investigators is concerned, citing fear of reprisals from the suspects,” the court was told.

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The court will make a ruling on whether to release them on bond or not on February 21, this year.

The offence is said to have happened at the residence of the 1st Accused who is the biological father to the 2nd Accused and a foster parent to the 3rd Accused.

The investigating officer also submitted that Mbugua had tampered with CCTV footage which captured the events of the fateful day at his home.

“THAT the Investigations from the DCI Photographic section have since established that the CCTV footage as installed at the home of the 1st Accused and which captured the commission of the said offence was tampered with before it was retrieved to aid in investigations,” reads the court documents.

“THAT a review of the CCTV footage has now revealed that ONLY the events of the day of the incident being 23rd December 2023 were conveniently deleted before they were surrendered to the investigators.”