Detectives in Lang'ata are investigating a civilian man said to have impersonated a police officer in Lang'ata Southland's area.
Gregory Simiyu Mabele, 40, was arrested on February 27 during curfew hours in Nairobi's Lang'ata estate as he conducted his patrols.
Mabele allegedly disguised as an officer and was walking around the area pretending to be offering security to members of the public way past 10 pm.
The suspect was found dressed in an Administration Police Service Uniform, a mask with the logo of the policy arm, and sneakers which are against the protocol as officers are required to wear standard black laced boots.
"Detectives suspect that he is part of a wider cabal of criminals, who pose as Police Officers and betray the trust of unsuspecting members of the public, by defrauding & stealing from them," reads a statement by the DCI.
Mabele will be arraigned in court on Monday, February 29, to answer to charges of being in unlawful possession of government stores contrary to Section 324 (2) and impersonating a Police Officer contrary to Section 101 (1) (b) of the National Police Service Act.
There have been rising cases of individuals impersonating police officers since the curfew was put in place to help curb the spread of Covid-19.
On February 9, a man identified as Vincent Ouma allegedly went to a police station in Mombasa County posing as an officer in an attempt to get his friend who violated Covid-19 regulations freed. The police ID number he gave sold him out as it belonged to an older officer, yet he was in his youth.
In yet another incident, two men were arraigned in court on February 5, 2021, for donning military attire and threatening to storm Kamiti Maximum prison.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on January 3, 2021, through the interior Cabinet secretary Fred Matiang'i, extended the curfew hours to run from 10:00 pm to 4:00 am till March 12, 2021, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
