This archive report was first published on 16 September 2019.
On September 11, 2019, a suspect was arrested and arraigned in court for car thefts at Thika Road Mall and Garden City Mall. The suspect, who used a stolen ID, claimed to be Kelvin Mokaya, a former employee of NTV and a member of the gym at Thika Road Mall.
However, it later emerged that the suspect had stolen the ID from the gym and was using it to impersonate Mokaya. The police had fallen for the false identification and had arrested the wrong person.
Mokaya, who had lost his wallet containing all his documents and his mobile phone at the gym, had reported the matter at Kasarani Police Station on the same day. He had recorded a statement (OB No. 100/5/9/19) and had even deactivated his mobile number to prevent the thieves from using it.
But the police had not taken the time to verify the suspect's identity, and Mokaya was left wondering why they had not checked the reports from the scene of the arrest. He felt that this was a case of incompetence within the police service.
Almost a week after Mokaya presented himself to the Kasarani Police Station, the court had given a production order for the suspect to be taken back to the police station for them to prepare fresh charges before taking him to court. However, the police were yet to take Mokaya's statement or check the documents in possession of the suspect to verify if they were his.
