This archive report was first published on 13 May 2020.
Published on May 13, 2020, a Nairobi court has ordered the detention of a Kenyan woman and two Ugandan men over the disappearance of a Kenyan police officer.
Police Constable Abel Misati, 27, attached to Kamukunji Police Station in Nairobi, went missing on January 19. His mobile phone was recovered on April 17 in Eastleigh, Nairobi.
Investigations suggest that Misati may have been killed. A fourth suspect, a Ugandan national, is on the run and being pursued by Interpol.
The three suspects, Shariff Wanabwa, Martin Wasike, and Phoebe Anido Andayi, denied kidnapping Misati to murder him. They applied for bail, arguing that they had been in remand for 21 days.
However, the lawyer representing Misati's family, Alfred Nyandieka, opposed their bail plea, stating that they posed a threat to public security. Nyandieka urged the court to detain the trio to assist in locating Misati, whether dead or alive.
State prosecutor Winnie Moraa assured the court that investigations would continue, and the trio would be charged with murder. Moraa warned that releasing them on bail would be a ticket for them to jump bail.
Magistrate Bernard Ochoi ruled that the State had presented compelling reasons to deny the suspects bond. He noted that Wanabwa and Wasike lacked identification and had no fixed abode in Kenya. The three were ordered to be detained until June 2, when the investigating officer would inform the court of any changes in the case circumstances.
