I sent money for airtime and lunch to my bosses, says officer during vetting exercise

Chief Inspector of Police Jamal Nur before the vetting panel chaired by Johnston Kavuludi at Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu on June 17,2016. The commission has finalised the vetting which has so far seen 450 officers vetted countrywide since the vetting began. (PHOTO: DENISH OCHIENG/ STANDARD)

A police officer failed to explain why he frequently sent money to his seniors in the name of airtime and lunches.

The vetting panel chaired by commissioner Ronald Musengi said they would recall former OCPD Musa Kongoli and his deputy Muthiri Mugera to respond after Inspector Gerald Gitau, who was a traffic officer in Maseno, failed to clarify why he had been sending them money.

Gitau, who regularly greased the palms of his bosses by sending them money in bits of hundreds, was also hard-pressed to explain the reasons for cash sent to his Mpesa number by a businessman who ran a transport business.

“He was my friend and he sent me the money to settle fines on his lorries whenever his driver was intercepted,” said the Masters in Commerce graduate.

Before he came under fire over his shady financial transactions involving the public and his colleagues, the inspector narrated how he thwarted an attempt by his juniors to extort a Nairobi businessman. He had them interdicted.

He said constable Aaron Muthenge and a sergeant Mureithi, who had requested permission to take imprest to police headquarters in Nairobi following the death of a colleague, were arrested in Embakasi where they had gone to extort a businessman dealing in paint production under the guise he was dealing in counterfeit products.

He said the officers demanded Sh100, 000 from the manufacturer before haggling to Sh80,000. “His (manufacturer’s) driver called me and told me that officers from our office (Athi River) were harassing the businessman,” he said.

Yesterday, Kakamega Traffic Driving Test Examiner Chief Inspector Jamal Noor was also questioned over huge mobile money transfers between him and his seniors. The officer’s bank account records indicated he made huge cash deposits in his account between 2012 and 2013, a situation which raised questions on his sources of the funds. Records read by commissioner Mary Owuor, who was part of the panel, showed Noor had other sources of income in different parts of the country, but had unrealistic cash deposits in his bank account.

“In 2012, we can see you had very huge cash deposits of Sh200,000, Sh300,000, Sh120,000 and many other transactions. Where do you get such big cash at once?” asked Ms Owuor.

Noor responded: “The money come from my businesses. My brother collects the income and I keep them in my house before I can deposit into my account.”

He added: “The good thing with me is that I do not take alcohol and I am also  disciplined, so I can keep any amount of money in my coat as long as I wish before I can bank it. I trust my family a lot.”

Mpesa records indicated that Noor had sent up to Sh1 million to his senior, a Mr Samuel Mungai.