Officer ‘tried to hire’ police impostor

Suspended Rift Valley police boss John M’Mbijiwe tried to recruit the man accused of being a police impostor as a reservist irregularly, the commission investigating the matter heard on Tuesday.

The committee also heard how the former top officer replaced police car parts, changed colour and even registration numbers without authorisation from the headquarters in Nairobi.

West Pokot OCPD David Wambua told the committee that Mr M’Mbijiwe intimidated him into opening a Kenya Police Reservist file for Mr Joshua Waiganjo and write a letter confirming his appointment.

Mr Wambua told the committee sitting in Nakuru that the former Provincial Police Officer first called him saying that he would want him to write a letter without expounding its nature.

“He called me on November 23, last year telling me that he would send a senior officer to my office the next day and that he would want me to a write a certain letter for him,” he said.

The officer said Mr M’Mbijiwe, who was interdicted over the police imposter saga, called him the next day at about 10am and he was furious because he had not waited for Mr Waiganjo at his office in Kapenguria as they had agreed.

“I was attending a meeting at the District Commissioner’s office but I had to leave in a hurry because my boss reprimanded me asking why I was in the office yet he had told me that he was sending a senior officer in the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) over,” he said.

He told the committee that he waited for Mr Waiganjo for five hours only for the visitor to arrive looking drunk and his shirt un-tucked.

Intimidated officers

“When he came in, he took over my office, made calls intended to intimidate me and told me that I should write a letter confirming him as a Kenya Police Reservist (KPR) and deploy him in Kapenguria and that I should give the document to him to submit to the PPO on the same day,” said Mr Wambua.

The officer said he declined to deploy Mr Waiganjo since he noticed something fishy in the deal.

“In the force, junior officers are deployed by their seniors and not the other way round and I wondered why I was being told to confirm and deploy an ACP,” he said.

Mr Wambua also told the committee that KPRs were often people from the designated communities and not outsiders.

At the same time, Provincial Motor Vehicle Transport Workshops boss Isaac Ngala told the committee how Mr M’Mbijiwe changed the colour and registration number of a police Land Cruiser from gemstone blue to white.

He said the car’s registration number was also changed from GK to a civilian one without authorisation from the headquarters in Nairobi and that it had earlier been fitted with a gear box from another vehicle assigned to Njoro Police Station.

At the same time, the committee heard that Mr Waiganjo had the powers to fire, promote and assign duties.

Witnesses said Mr Joshua Waiganjo exercised the powers at both the Rift Valley Provincial Police and CID headquarters.

The commissioners heard how through a mere chat with a junior officer, he move her from night to day shift.

Police constable Esther Gathigia told the commission sitting in Nakuru she had been put on permanent night shift because she had a disagreement with her boss.

Hearing continues Wednesday.