• Justice Lawrence Mugambi in convicting him said impunity and open defiance cannot be allowed and those hell bent won't find refuge.
• Masengeli was required to appear in court to explain circumstances surrounding disappearance of three people in Kitengela.
Image: The Star
The High Court is this morning expected to sentence Acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli who was earlier this week found guilty of contempt of court.
Justice Lawrence Mugambi in convicting him said impunity and open defiance cannot be allowed and those hell-bent won't find refuge.
Masengeli was required to appear in court to explain the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of three people in Kitengela.
They went missing on August 19.
Several summons have been issued by the court but Masengeli has snubbed all of them.
He instead sent acting DIG Lagat to represent him saying he was in Wajir over security matters.
But Mugambi in his brief ruling said the IG has held the court at ransom court and it is no longer able to ascertain what could have happened to the petitioners.
"Masengeli is guilty of contempt and the court ought to punish him accordingly," the Judge said.
The Judge at the same time summoned the commandant of SGB/VIP unit Lazarus Opicho to explain why he called his bodyguard and his driver to establish his whereabouts.
"We need to know the reasons for such an inquiry," the judge said.
Mugambi had on August 28 directed the Inspector General of Police, DPP, AG, DCI and National Intelligence Service to immediately disclose the whereabouts of Bob Micheni, Jamil Longton and Aslam Longton to the Law Society of Kenya which has filed the case in court.
This order has never been complied with. That is why the court has been summoning Masengeli to court.
LSK filed the case stating that Several reports have been made that the three were abducted by armed police officers, taken away and held incommunicado at undisclosed locations.
According to the court documents, the three through their social media platforms sensitized the youth to come out in large numbers and to advocate for the rejection of the finance bill in totality.
They also allegedly asked Kenyans to actively participate in the countrywide protests agitating for change in the country.
"It was then that the respondents through armed police officers started abducting them," says LSK.
LSK says Bob was abducted on 19th August 2024 at around 10:40 pm. by masked men on his way home from a matatu in Kasina area.
The other two were abducted on August 19, 2024 at around 2 pm while leaving their house at Kitengela.
They were allegedly bundled into a white Subaru that drove off to an unknown destination and are yet to be released to date.
"None of these persons has been charged with any known offence before any court of law in Kenya," LSK said.