Two officers jailed over Sh200,000 bribe

A Nairobi Magistrate has found two police officers guilty of demanding a Sh200,000 bribe from a foreigner in 2018.

Corporal Julius Oguma and Charles Macharia Wanjiru were accused of demanding a bribe from a Chinese National Pan Xido Yan, for being in the country without proper documentation.

Milimani Anti-Corruption Chief Magistrate Thomas Nzioka while delivering the judgement said that the prosecution was only able to prove three counts out of the seven that they faced.

Oguma was jailed for five years or pay a Sh1.9 million fine while Wanjiru was jailed for one year or pay a Sh400 000 fine.

Oguma was found guilty on two counts of demanding and taking a bribe from the Chinese national while Wanjiru was found guilty of obstruction.

Oguma arrested Yan and booked him at the Kabete police station and he is said to have demanded a Sh1 million bribe in the process.

Wanjiru was accused of threatening to shoot an officer from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission at the station when they came to arrest Oguma.

In their mitigation through lawyer Danstan Omari, the two said that they were remorseful of their actions and pleaded to be given a second chance to serve the non-custodial sentence.

They said that they are the sole breadwinners of their families and have school-going children who depend on them and would suffer if they were given a custodial sentence.