The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on Thursday arrested an Inspector of Police attached to Zimmerman Police Post for soliciting a Ksh.10,000 bribe.
Susan Wambui Muiruri is said to have demanded a bribe in April 2021.
The complainant had made his way to the precinct after getting word that his girlfriend had been arrested by police.
“The arrested person, who was the complainant’s girlfriend, was working at his Wines and Spirits Shop located at Zimmerman with the accuser’s full consent and support,” said a source at the EACC.
“He received a phone call from a police officer attached to Zimmerman Police Post using his girlfriend’s number and was informed that the girlfriend had been arrested over allegedly stealing from a customer at the wines and spirits shop.”
When the complainant arrived at the station, police informed him that his girlfriend had allegedly sold his liquor store to one Dan Matiri for Ksh.150,000 but allegedly refused to hand over the shop or return the cash to him.
Unconvinced by the allegations, the complainant demanded an audience with his girlfriend, who told him that she acquired the aforesaid sum as a loan from Matiri and not as payment for the liquor store.
“Armed with the information, the complainant demanded to see a sale agreement despite knowing very well that no one had the authority to sell his shop since he was the registered and beneficial owner,” said the EACC insider.
“The police officers led by Police Inspector Susan Muiruri accused him of being rude and put him in a cell. He alleged to have thereafter been humiliated, harassed and psychologically tortured in an effort to make him pay the said Ksh. 150,000.”
The complainant added that the Inspector threatened to link him to an ongoing murder investigation if he failed to pay the sum.
“The complainant bowed to pressure and paid Ksh.150,000 to Dan Matiri in order to secure his freedom and that of his girlfriend and to end the torturous episode,” said the source.
When he and his girlfriend were released, Muiruiri is said to have demanded Ksh.10,000 from the complainant for ‘facilitating’ the negotiation with Matiri.
Muiruri claimed that the couple’s infractions had been recorded in the station’s digital occurrence book (OB) and that the Ksh.10,000 would make the charges ‘disappear’.
“She also said that the digital system was slow and they could only be processed for release digitally. As such, they risked spending another night in cells if the Ksh.10,000 facilitation fee was not paid in order to find a way of prioritizing them in the digital system,” the source added.
“After payment of the demanded amount through her registered Safaricom Line, the digital system suddenly worked and they were released.”
The complainant then reported the matter to the EACC who commenced investigations and Muiruri was arrested on Thursday, July 28.
She was set to be arraigned on Friday at the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court to take plea but she didn’t show up with her lawyer telling the court that she was under the weather.
The court pushed the plea taking to August 9, 2023.
