Senior IPOA staff charged with theft
Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) Record Manager Nobert Ouko Opeyo and two others have been charged with stealing murder investigation files and assorted documents belonging to the authority at their offices.
The three, Opeyo, Bernard Ochieng Okello and David Bahati Okunda, are alleged that on diverse dates between December 1, 2020 and May 29, 2021 at IPOA head office at 1st Ngong Avenue ACK Annexe building in Nairobi with others not before court stole murder investigations files number IPOA/INV/002209/2018, IPOA/INV/000899/2017 and assorted investigations documents of unknown value.
The prosecutor Abel Gichana objected to their release on bail saying that they believe more files have been stolen from the IPOA offices and need time to complete investigations.
The prosecutor further told Magistrate David Ndugi that they need time to secure the safety of the witnesses before the suspects are released on bail.
"There are other accomplices at large and releasing the three suspects on bail will jeopardise our attempts to apprehend them," said Abel.
"The matter is of great public interest, the scales of justice should tilt in favour of the prosecution," he added.
Lawyer representing the three suspects advocate Businge Robert asked the court to release his clients on bail, saying the application to detain the suspects should have been made before aproving the charges against them.
