Top cop faces arraignment for bribery

A senior police officer in the Central Kenya Region is facing a possible arraignment on bribery allegations.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Central Regional Office, Nyeri, arrested Ms. Mary Syombua Mutunga, OCS Itabua Police Station, on July 25, 2024, after receiving a complaint to the effect that Ms. Mutunga had solicited a Kes100,000 bribe to facilitate the release of an impounded motor vehicle from the Station’s yard.

The complainant, a bar operator, was arrested by four police officers from Itabua Police Station on July 3, 2024, after he refused to sell them alcohol at 10:00 a.m., which was before operating hours. They arrested him and his wife and also towed their vehicle to the police station. He was thereafter arraigned at Embu Law Courts on various charges and released on bond.

When he returned to the Itabua Police Station for his vehicle, the OCS demanded Kes100,000 before she could release it to him. At this point, the complainant reported the matter to the Commission’s offices in Nyeri town, where he recorded a statement.

Investigations established that, indeed, the OCS had demanded the bribe. On July 11, 2024, she sent an agent to pick up the money on her behalf, after which the Commission officers swung into action and arrested her.

She was processed and booked at the Nyeri Police Station and released on a cash bail of Kes50,000. Further investigations are ongoing, and she will report back to the Commission’s offices in Nyeri on August 7, 2024, when a decision to charge her will be made.