Baby Pendo case shake-up: DPP drops charges against 8 cops, recruits them as state witnesses
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has stated that the eight senior police officers dropped from the Baby Samantha Pendo case will be state witnesses.
DPP dropped charges against senior police officers Titus Yoma, Titus Mutune, Benjamin Koima, Benjamin Lorema, Volker Edambo, Josphat Sensira, Mohammed Ali Guyo and the missing retired police officer Mohammed Baa.
According to the DPP, the eight officers, including the missing retired police boss Baa, will be required to record statements as prosecution witnesses in a bid to help the victims get justice.
“Consequently, DPP has directed that the eight (8) officers record statements as prosecution witnesses,” part of the DPP statement read.
The DPP amended the earlier charge sheet and charged four senior police bosses with multiple counts of crimes against humanity, including one count of murder, 11 counts of rape, and 38 torture.
However, the four senior police bosses John Chengo, Linah Kosgey, Cyprine Wankio and James Rono denied all the charges pressed against them by the DPP and a plea of not guilty was entered by Lady Justice Margaret Muigai at the Milimani High Court.
According to the amended charge sheet, Chengo, who was the General Service Unit Inspector (GSUI) of police operationally in charge of Platoon One, is said that on August 12, 2017, knowingly deployed officers in Nyalenda and Kachok roundabout, knowing they were committing or about to commit crimes.
The junior officers went around beating civilians in their houses and those that they found outside, going around with their business using batons and rungus.
According to the charges pressed against four senior police officers, their juniors are accused of forcefully gaining access to victims’ houses by throwing tear gas canisters and, in other incidents, by breaking doors.
Further, they were also accused of stealing from the victims as low as Ksh500 after harassing them, leaving them in pain.
It also emerged that the police officers deployed to contain political violence that erupted in Nyalenda, Kisumu East Sub-County within Kisumu County after the 2017 general elections reportedly raped several women in turns while some of their colleagues watched.
The accused were each released on a personal bond of Ksh200, 000 with strict instructions not to interfere with witnesses.
The case will be mentioned on May 12, 2025, for further directions.
