Two police officers were arrested on Wednesday, September 1, in connection with missing exhibits in a drug-related case.
The Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Garissa Police Station confirmed that the two officers were related after marijuana seized from an arrested suspect mysteriously went missing.
David Akuku and Robert Birundu were the main suspects behind the disappearance of 18 rolls of cannabis sativa recovered from a drug dealing suspect.
The suspect had been arrested by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) after being tipped off by intelligence.
Joy Mawia Mutua was found in possession of the drugs, which were concealed in her body. The drug consignment was taken by the two officers and kept as an exhibit to be presented before the court.
However, when Mutua appeared before the court to answer to the crime she committed, the two officers failed to produce the exhibit.
The two were immediately arrested and placed in custody, pending further action by the police.
It was also discovered that the suspect, while in police custody, had been released under unclear circumstances. The police traced her and escorted her back to the police station where she awaited her arraignment in court.
Cases of exhibits in the hands of police going missing are common. In June 2020, police guarding African Sprits, an alcohol plant owned by billionaire Humphrey Kariuki were questioned over the mysterious disappearance of goods worth Ksh2 billion.
The police who had been tasked with securing the property claimed no knowledge of the disappearance, leading to collapse of the case.
The plant was under guard and was to be used as an exhibit for a Ksh41 billion tax evasion case put up against Kariuki.
