Businessman life in danger as officer confiscates good, Sh500,000 cash and threatens to kill him, lawyer

Robow Hussein Holo (left) and Ibrahim Nurow at shop belonging to Holo at Garissa Shopping Centre on March 1, 2019. [Photo Kipsang Joseph]

A businessman has accused a police officer attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) of robbing and threatening to kill him.

Robow Hussein Holo, 25, claims the officer seized his goods worth Sh1.2 million and Sh500,000 in cash before threatening him and his lawyer.

According to Mr Holo, the officer went to his shop at Garissa Shopping Centre, arrested him and carted away the goods.

At the police station, Holo was informed that he was to be charged with stealing.

Holo says he was beaten by the officer and forced to sign an inventory of the goods taken from his shop. He claims the officer did not list the Sh500,000 and had only half of the goods carted away listed in the inventory.

“I got a thorough beating from the officer, who forced me to sign an inventory of goods he took from my shop. To my surprise he did not list the Sh500,000 cash he took,” said Holo.

Items in inventory

Among the items in the inventory dated January 30, 2019, and done at 5pm were 57 suits, shirts, T-Shirts, 100 pairs of shoes and 57 pairs of trousers.

The whereabouts of the the rest of the goods is not known and the officer is still holding Holo's identity card and the keys to his business premise.

The Standard established that the officer started threatening Holo's friend after he took up the matter and reported the incident at Central police station, whose officers at first refused to book the complaint in the Occurrence Book.

In text messages The Standard saw, the officer warns the friend to stop engaging in business with Holo or be eliminated.

“I have been living in fear... the officer has been sending threatening text messages to me,” said Holo's friend.

In one text message the policeman tells the man to settle all his debts and prepare to die. 

Holo's friend said efforts to report the matter had been futile, as police officers at Central Police Station refused to record their complaints.

Despite the complaint being recorded under OB Number 57/07/02/2019 on February 7, no action has been taken on the officer.

Lawyers Kipkoech Ng’etich and Gordon Ogola wrote a letter to the Director of Criminal Investigations and the Inspector General of Police seeking to have the matter addressed.

The letter dated February 13, 2019 is copied to the Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i, Nakuru County Director of Criminal Investigations, the chairpersons Independent Police Oversight Authority and Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.

In the letter, the lawyers demanded that the officer be summoned for questioning.

Threatened clients

“Our clients are threatened by a rogue officer who is walking free and wreaking havoc as he wishes. To date the officer still holds the keys to the shop and walks in and out as he wishes,” read the letter.

The policeman is said to have extended his threats to the lawyers.

"The manner in which the DCI is handling the matter is not right. He has not responded to our letter," said Mr Ogola.

Outgoing Nakuru DCI officer Jeremiah Musyoki declined to comment on the matter.