The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) arrested a police officer based at the Kahawa West Police Station in Nairobi on Tuesday, March 5.
According to the commission, the officer is accused of defying Deputy Rigathi Gachagua’s orders in a recent crackdown on the sale of illicit liquor in the country.
The officer allegedly demanded and extorted a bribe from a local trader in the area to facilitate their illicit brew business.
"The officer is arrested for receiving a bribe from a local trader as “protection fees” to allow her to operate the business of selling illicit brew (chang'aa),” EACC stated.
The suspect was later detained and booked at the Kilimani Police Station, as EACC officers launched further investigations into the case.
“The suspect has been booked at Kilimani Police Station pending further action on Wednesday.”
This follows Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s directive to crack down on the sale of illicit liquor in the country, issuing a stern warning to police officers aiding such activities.
Speaking at an event in Kirinyaga, the second in command threatened to dismiss officers found colluding with wrongdoers such as illicit brewers, cautioning that they would face prosecution instead of the previous disciplinary measures within the police force.
"Illicit brews are thriving because the officers are busy taking bribes. Had President William Ruto and I not intervened, the entire generation in this region would have been wiped out by poisonous alcohol in ten years,” he stated.
On March 2, EACC applauded an OCS from Samburu after rejecting a Ksh80,000 bribe from three individuals seeking the release of a suspect who robbed three foreign nationals.
After rejecting the bribe, the OCS reported the three to the commission, which took action against the suspects.
"This is what EACC expects of all Police Commanders across the country to weed out corruption from police operations, which has the effect of compromising security and access to justice," EACC spokesperson Eric Ngumbi stated.
