Questions are mounting over the whereabouts of a Kajiado County clinical officer after she was reportedly arrested in Kitengela and later taken away from the police station in a Subaru whose occupants and destination remain unclear.
The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) says Christin Wanjiru was first taken to Kitengela Police Station following her arrest. The union claims she was held there without being immediately given clear information on why she had been arrested.
KUCO General Secretary and CEO Gibore Maroah said the union was informed about the arrest and later received reports that Wanjiru had been removed from the station.
“For purposes of public record, accountability and pursuit of justice, the KUCO wishes to bring to the attention of Kenyans and relevant State and human-rights institutions the disturbing circumstances surrounding the reported arrest and subsequent disappearance from known police custody of Christin Wanjiru, a clinical officer serving under the County Government of Kajiado,” the statement read.
According to the union, Wanjiru was later picked up in a Subaru vehicle after being taken out of the police station. KUCO said it had not established who took her, where she was taken or her whereabouts when it issued the statement on Thursday, August 27.
“More disturbing, the Union subsequently received information that she was removed from Kitengela Police Station and picked up in the Subaru vehicle appearing in the attached photograph,” the statement added.
The union has asked the Officer Commanding Station at Kitengela to explain the events surrounding Wanjiru’s arrest and subsequent removal.
KUCO wants police to confirm whether her detention was entered into official records and identify the officers who arrested her. It is also seeking information on who approved her removal from the station.
The union further wants authorities to establish whether Wanjiru was released or moved to another location, identify the person or officers who received her and disclose where she was taken.
KUCO has appealed to the National Police Service, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), Internal Affairs Unit and other State and human-rights bodies to move quickly to establish Wanjiru’s location and protect her safety.
The union’s concerns come amid increased scrutiny of incidents involving people in police custody and demands for greater accountability within the National Police Service.
The case also comes weeks after the DCI rescued a medical doctor who had allegedly been abducted in Juja. The operation led to the doctor being found in Athi River and a suspect being detained.