In the serene backdrop of Kilifi County, within the jurisdiction of the Rabai Sub County’s Kambe Ribe Police Station, an incident unfolded that would ripple through the community, bringing into sharp focus the tensions between military authority and local law enforcement.
On the morning of April 27, 2024, the tranquility of Bondora was disrupted when Chief Inspector Christine Madiah of Kambe Ribe reported an egregious act of defiance against the rule of law. Her officers had been dispatched to the Magao area, a mere 3 kilometers from the Bondora police post, with orders to arrest Tyson Shabaki, a local resident accused of assault.
After initial compliance from Shabaki’s family, who delivered him to the police post as promised, the situation rapidly deteriorated. Sergeant George Lenga of the Kenyan Defense Force (KDF), positioned in Garissa’s 6 Brigade and identified as Shabaki’s cousin, alongside Edwin Lenga of the Coast Water Development Authority, fiercely obstructed the police’s efforts. Their actions turned violent as Sergeant Lenga assaulted Police Constable William Omondi, incapacitating him with a twisted wrist and a punch to the chest.
The mayhem intensified as the steel door and a window pane of the report office were shattered, a desperate bid to facilitate Shabaki’s escape. The assault victim, present at the station to witness the arrest, was also strangled and beaten in a startling act of brutality.
Reinforcements from the police command, including the Scene of Crime Personnel (Scpc) and the Sub-County Criminal Investigation Officer (Sccio), arrived to restore order. Ultimately, the defiant KDF officer and his accomplice were arrested and confined within the very cells they had sought to breach.
This incident, now in the hands of the Police Oversight Authority and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Rabai, raises alarming questions about the respect for law enforcement procedures, especially when it involves military personnel and their conduct in civil jurisdictions.
The investigation into this case is ongoing, with both the KDF officer and his uncle facing serious charges. The breach not only marks a violation of the law but also undercuts the integrity of the military establishment. What transpires from here will be closely monitored, as the case’s outcome has significant implications for the delicate balance between military power and civil authority in Kenya.
