Man Arrested in Kirinyaga for Impersonating a Police Officer With Full Uniform
A man has been arrested by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kirinyaga County for impersonating a police officer. His arrest resulted in the discovery of several government-issued items that he had illegally obtained.
According to a police report accessed by Newshub.co.ke, the suspect was first apprehended in the Kirinyaga East Sub-County. Following his arrest, he led investigators to his home in the Makongeni area of Thika, where more items were recovered.
During the search at his residence, police found two police smoke jackets, two pairs of jungle green trousers typically worn by security forces, a green prison lanyard, a pair of desert military boots, and a replica firearm. These items are all considered official property of government security agencies.
“Detectives in Kirinyaga East Sub-County have arrested a man pretending to be a police officer and recovered several government-issued items from him. After receiving intelligence reports, the officers moved swiftly and arrested the suspect. Upon further questioning, he directed them to his home in Makongeni, Thika,” part of the official police report read.
The search at his residence revealed a collection of equipment normally issued to security personnel. These included police jackets, prison-related accessories, military boots, and even a replica gun—raising concerns about what activities the suspect may have been involved in.
The suspect is now in police custody, and officers are currently processing his case in preparation for his appearance in court scheduled for Monday. Investigations are ongoing as the DCI works to establish how long he had been impersonating a police officer and whether he had committed other crimes while pretending to be part of law enforcement.
Possessing government property, especially police uniforms and gear, without proper authorization is a serious offence in Kenya. Section 324 of the Penal Code states that anyone found with such items and who cannot provide a valid explanation may face imprisonment for up to seven years.
Furthermore, the National Police Service Act outlines that the illegal possession or misuse of police uniforms, badges, and gear is punishable by a fine of up to Ksh1 million or a jail term not exceeding 10 years.
This is not the first case involving impersonation of security officers. In a similar incident that occurred in May last year, another man was arrested for pretending to be a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) captain in order to avoid taking an alcoblow test at Museum Hill in Nairobi.
That suspect, too, was caught with military-related items and gear. He had been stopped at a routine police roadblock but refused to comply with officers’ instructions. He stepped out of his black Toyota Prado TX and identified himself as a KDF captain, pointing to a military sticker on his vehicle’s windscreen.
When asked to present a certificate of appointment or documentation to verify his military rank, the man failed to do so. Instead, he called a serving KDF captain to vouch for him. However, the real officer disassociated himself from the suspect once the matter escalated.
The Department of Defence later confirmed that the man had no links to the military, and he was promptly arrested and arraigned in Milimani Law Courts for traffic-related offences and impersonation.
These incidents highlight a growing concern over the misuse of police and military uniforms by civilians. Authorities have urged the public to be alert and report suspicious individuals who may be using government uniforms or titles to deceive or commit crimes.
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