The drama
surrounding the slaughtering of a suspected stolen cow at the Kaptagat Police Station in
Elgeyo Marakwet County continued to unfold with the transfer of all police
officers attached there.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja ordered the transfer of the officers from the station.
They will be replaced by a new team pending the outcome of ongoing investigations into the saga.
The move is part of efforts to calm tension in the area over the stealing and slaughtering of the cow.
This followed a protest by the locals to the station to demand action on those behind an incident where a cow that had earlier been reported missing from the local village was found slaughtered at the station.
Two police officers at the station were arrested as investigations into the incident continue.
Locals raided the station and vandalised sign posts before taking over the official car there which they used in protesting the incident.
They demanded a further probe into the saga saying past stolen and missing cows should be investigated with the police at the station in mind.
A preliminary investigation, according to police headquarters had implicated some officers at the station.
Some of them have been slaughtering stolen and recovered cows. They later supplied the meat to local butcheries for money.
The probe is ongoing amid reports of possible action on the way.
In the latest incident, a local had reported her cow was missing.
This prompted a search before word went around the missing cow had been slaughtered at the local police station.
A mob surged outside the station prompting those who had slaughtered it to escape the scene on Monday.
Learning about the tension there, senior police officers and a Member of the County Assembly rushed to the police station after the mob threatened to set the station on fire.
A brief probe led to the arrest of the two police officers who were linked to the slaughter for grilling.
Police said they are investigating the incident.
The team handling the matter said they want to establish the links between the police officers and the stolen cow and their motivation.
Police authorities called for calm and termed the incident isolated.
A special team was later sent to the area for more investigations and action.
The arrest of the two officers brought to at least four cops so far arrested over crime in four days.
Police say the incidents are isolated and should not be used to judge the service.
Earlier on, a senior police officer was arrested after he was allegedly found carrying 20 bags of charcoal along Nakuru-Mogotio road, Nakuru County.
The officer was allegedly chased for several kilometres before his car was intercepted in Nakuru Town.
The Toyota Land Cruiser was allegedly found carrying 20 bags of charcoal, police said.
The police officer was later on December 13 charged with offenses of unlawful using a motor vehicle and movement of charcoal without authority contrary to the charcoal rule of the forest charcoal rule 2009 of the Forest Conservation and Management Act 2016.
The officer was released on a cash bail of Sh100,000 and the case will be mentioned on December 23, 2024.
A team from Kenya Forest Service Mau region headquarters were on duty along the Nakuru-Mogotio Road when they spotted the vehicle.
The team tried to stop the car but the driver sped off towards Nakuru.
This prompted a chase to Naivasha then back to Nakuru town where a reinforcement had been raised and intercepted it there.
They also managed to arrest the driver who turned out to be a police officer and disarmed him of a Ceska pistol loaded with 13 rounds of ammunition.
He was escorted to Nakuru Police Station where he was searched and placed in
custody and the car loaded with 20 bags of charcoal was detained at the
station.
Transporting charcoal needs a permit from the Kenya Forest Service.
Meanwhile, a police officer attached to Gesonso Police Station, Kisii County was arrested for allegedly stealing a mobile phone belonging to his colleague at the station.
The complainant had on October 25, 2024, complained her mobile phone was stolen.
This prompted an investigation that led to the arrest of the police officer.
The two had been assigned work together when the mobile phone went missing.
The suspect had dropped the mobile phone into a pit latrine about 200 meters away from the station.
The gadget was recovered as evidence. He was later charged with stealing the gadget.
