DCI warns Kenyans against obstructing officers on duty after mob prevents arrest in Kirinyaga

Residents of Kiamanyeki in Mwea, Kirinyaga County surround a DCI car that carried officers who had attempted to seize a woman to help them trace a suspect. (Photo: X/Coletta Aluda)

By Lucy Mumbi
Monday, January 13, 2025

Officers driving a Subaru car bearing what residents said was a suspicious number plate attempted to forcibly take Jackline Gatwiri, claiming she could help locate a suspect.

Obstructing officers while performing their duties is a criminal offence, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has warned.

This follows an incident in Mwea, Kirinyaga County, where five officers from Kerugoya Police Station narrowly escaped a mob assault.

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The officers had attempted to seize a woman in Kiamanyeki without properly providing identification.

The incident occurred on Sunday, January 12, 2025, when the officers, driving a Subaru car bearing what residents said was a suspicious number plate, attempted to forcibly take Jackline Gatwiri, claiming she could help locate a suspect.

Gatwiri, unaware of the operation, raised the alarm, leading locals to believe she was being abducted. This prompted an angry mob to surround the vehicle, with some threatening to lynch the people inside.

However, with the help of armed officers from Wang’uru Police Station, Chief Henry Kariuki, and local community leaders, the situation was defused.

The officers were forced to release Gatwiri and find other means to track the suspect they were looking for. The DCI said the suspect was implicated in a robbery with violence and rape case.

“A rowdy mob, however, pooled forces and attacked the officers who were onboard a government vehicle registration No. KBZ 684Y, threatening to set it ablaze should they not release the suspect,” DCI said.

Serious criminal offence

“The officers had been deployed by the sub-county criminal investigations officer to pursue the runaway suspect named in an ongoing Criminal Case No. 278/33/2024 and Court File No. E381, who traced the suspect, Jackline Gatwiri to the village and moved in swiftly to effect the arrest.”

The DCI issued a strong warning to the public, cautioning that obstructing law enforcement officers in the course of their duties is a serious criminal offence.

“The DCI cautions members of the public that obstructing police officers in the course of executing their constitutional mandate is a serious criminal offence, and much worse is any attempt to aid the escape of a criminal offender or prisoner,” it said.

The DCI also emphasised that posing an imminent threat to anyone’s life or property would be met with the full force of the law.

“Equally, posing imminent threat to life or property of any person is not justifiable under any legal parameters, and will be met with the full force of the law,” it said.

The warning follows growing concerns among the public after a series of abductions across the country, with some victims describing being picked up by vehicles without official government markings.