Barely 24 hours after the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) boss George Kinoti trashed Citizen TV’s #gunsgalore exposé by Purity Mwambia, police officers manning the company’s entrance have been withdrawn.
Sources at the station intimated that security officers, mainly Administration Police (AP) who manned the entrance did not report for duty on Wednesday.
Those for the evening shift did not also report or duty on Tuesday evening.
The National Police Service is yet to issues a statement on this even as staff at the station fear that there could be a security lapse without the police officers.
On Tuesday, Kinoti told journalists that what Mwambia reported was false and misleading. He said that the guns sourced for the investigative piece were not in police armoury records.
“The allegations made in this report are extremely serious. It is also apparent that crimes relating to unlawful possession of firearms may have been committed in the context of this report,” the DCI boss.
Kinoti castigated Citizen TV for undertaking such a grave investigative piece without informing the DCI about it for their safety.
Kinoti said it was risky adding that Mwambia’s team should have followed due process to get protection.
“Don’t again and don’t be cheated that it is safe to do it the way it was done by the people who did it. It was extremely, very risky. God forbid. Had it turned that they were going to fall under attack, it is them we could be collecting as dead bodies without knowing what is happening,” he stated.
Kinoti said that the DCI job is about protecting innocent Kenyans from rogue people including police officers.
“That’s our job. That’s what we have been employed to hunt and ensure no Kenyan is not in possession of any such firearm. If we refuse to cooperate with you, put it out,” he advised.
On Sunday, Mwambia shocked Kenyans after exposing the underhand dealing by some rogue officers who hired out their guns and uniforms to robbers.
In her exposé that elicited uproar and mistrust for the police service, she took Kenyans step by step into how the guns, handcuffs and police uniforms are hired out.
One of Nairobi’s notorious thugs ‘Papa’ who has been hiring guns from a police officer in Eastlands said that he had to part with Ksh6,000 for a few hours. This money had to be paid whether he successfully conducts his robbery activities or not.
For one year, Mwambia pieced together the investigative report. For Ksh2,000, she was able to acquire two pairs of Administration Police uniform from an officer based in Embakasi.
The investigative team was also able to hire a new police uniform in Kayole for Ksh1,000 in a matter of days.
Mwambia’s expose revealed that a median is involved in brokering the gun hiring deal from the police officer, something she demonstrated. In one her journeys to Njoro Police Station, Mwambia was able to get a pair of handcuffs for only Ksh1,000. The handcuffs were supposed to be returned after 24 hours.
She has held on to these handcuffs for one year.
Back in Nairobi, Mwambia drove to GSU headquarters along Thika Superhighway and in hours, she got ten bullets for Ksh10,000. Each bullet cost Ksh1,000.
The bullets bore a sign of the manufacturing company which sells ammunition for the Kenyan government.
Mwambia also got a Brown pistol from a KDF officer along Thika Road for Ksh5,000. This firearm costs around Ksh50,000.
Her last assignment was getting an AK47, a deadly assault rifle mostly used in combat. Its cost is estimated at Ksh80,000 – Ksh200,000. The weapon was transported 600km to Nairobi where she got it for just Ksh10,000.
