This archive report was first published on 26 June 2020.
On June 26, 2020, a Kiambu Magistrate court issued a court order requiring the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti to appear in court on July 3, 2020, over the release of motor vehicles belonging to former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa.
The order was issued after Senior Principal Magistrate Stella Atembo ruled on June 10 that the vehicles, a Toyota Lexus, Ford Ranger, and a Mercedes Benz E-350, were being held without sufficient reasons, thus contrary to the law.
According to the court, the act of detaining property without any support or any law of order of the court with sufficient reasons contravenes the constitution, which provides for the right to private property and opportunity to be heard.
Further, the court noted that the three vehicles were not part of the search warrants issued by the court for investigations.
On March 2, 2020, detectives seized the five vehicles from Echesa following a complaint made to the DCI Public Complaints Section by a Kisumu resident, who alleged the cars had been fraudulently acquired.
