The next hearing of a case against alleged police impostor Joshua Waiganjo will be in 2016 after the cross-examination of the first witness was concluded on Wednesday.
Former Njoro OCPD Peter Njeru Wednesday claimed that former Rift Valley Provincial Police Commissioner John M’Mbijiwe and former Anti-Stock Theft Unit Commandant Michael Remi Ngugi protected Waiganjo on several occasions.
M’Mbijiwe and Ngugi are facing charges of abuse of office.
Peter Njeru who is currently the Mbooni OCPD, told the court that he worked with Waiganjo in executing transfers of officers and even made decisions during a security meeting in Baragoi.
Asked by the defence about his first meeting with Waiganjo, Njeru told the court that he later had doubts about Waiganjo’s Assistant Provincial Police commissioner rank, since there was already an existing assistant commissioner.
“Waiganjo came to my office several times dressed in full ATSU uniform, driven by an official provincial police vehicle and with officers attached to the former PPO M’Mbijiwe,” said Njeru.
Njeru said when he asked Waiganjo who had claimed he was attached to the Anti-Stock Theft Unit why he was operating from the PPO’s office, he said it was through instructions from the then Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere.
Njeru further told the court that every time he would ask M’mbijiwe for questions he would be told not to question his superiors.
“When I decided to ask the former Criminal Investigations Department (CID) boss Gideon Kimilu in Nakuru, I was told to wait until Iteere was out of office to know more, this made it clear to me that Waiganjo was so powerful within the police,” he said.
The former Njoro OCPD said Waiganjo also attended and participated in a key security meeting where he was briefed on the security situation in Baragoi.
Nakuru Senior Resident Magistrate Joe Omindo heard that Waiganjo could transfer, discipline, sack or reprimand junior police officers.
Waiganjo is being accused of allegedly presenting himself as a senior police officer, making arrests and inspecting a guard of honour by Kenya Forestry guards during a ceremony.
M’Mbijiwe and Ngugi were being accused of irregularly using their office to recruit Waiganjo who was masquerading as a senior police officer for more than five years.
Ngugi was being accused of arbitrarily allowing Waiganjo to unlawfully use a police motor vehicle on diverse dates between July 6 and November 20, 2012 at the unit’s headquarters in Gilgil.
M’Mbijiwe was charged with arbitrarily allowing Waiganjo to unlawfully board a police helicopter contrary to authority of his office on October 30, 2012 at the Lanet Airstrip in Nakuru County.
The next hearing will be on January 18.