A Mombasa Cement truck driver Mr. Paul Sifuna Wapakala was on 12th June 2023 arrested at 8:30pm while trafficking cannabis sativa aka bhang/weed along Nairobi- Malaba highway. According to the charge sheet he was in possession of about 296Kgs with a street value of about 14.8million.
The arrest of paul prompted a bitter clash between the arresting officers drawn from Kanduyi Police post and Bungoma DCI officers.
Before I run you though claims from both sides I will share extracts from a statement by Paul Sifuna;
- He drove a truck reg number KDB 938S / ZG 432 starting April 2022 from Mombasa through Uganda, Rwanda to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
- On his way back he made a stopover on Sunday 11th June 2023 at Kanduyi where he packed and proceeded to his Musikoma home.
- At about 5pm he picked a luggage belonging to one Mayanja at a bridge between Mabanga and Bukembe before turning back to pack at Ganaps Petrol station awaiting his payment from the owner of the consignment. At this point he already knew he was transporting bang.
- He was given an advance pay of Kshs. 2,000 at a Kanduyi bar with a promise of getting a Kshs 50,000/= balance upon delivery of the package in Mombasa.
- He went home again in preparation for a Mombasa trip the next day 12th June 2023.
- At around 9am on 12th June he was arrested when he was just about to start his journey and taken to Bungoma Police Station.
DCI claim:
Paul was arrested by four Police officers drawn from Kanduyi Police post on Nairobi – Malaba highway on charges of being in possession of bhang. The four are alleged to have driven around in the truck making a stopovers at Ola petrol station among other places where they were denied admission by management who cited limited space. The truck then was driven escorted by a Toyota Probox owned by one Police officer to Ganaps Petrol Station on Nairobi – Malaba highway.
The truck that had been loaded the bhang the very evening somewhere along the highway changed drivers after the one who witnessed the loading refused to transport the cargo to its destination. At around 6pm another driver (Mombasa Cement employee) sourced from around picked up the truck but could still not commence the journey choosing to stay put until his pay is concluded. The police acting on a tip off caught up with the lorry before it took off for Mombasa.
While parked by the roadside the four Police officers tried to negotiate for a Kshs. 1million bribe from Mombasa Cement owners to have the truck released together with the Kshs. 14.8 million bhang.
The officers then decided to detain the truck driver at Kanduyi Police Post while the truck was left at the petrol station. For about eight hours (8pm to 6am) the truck remained by the roadside at the Petrol station while Police kept shuttling between the Kanduyi Police Post and the petrol station located at Ndengelwa – Bungoma.
At about 11pm a probox vehicle arrived at Ganaps petrol station packed with about seven police officers prompting the now curious watchman to want to know what was happening. He noticed the probox occupants acting very restless in movement.
At about 6am the County Criminal Investigations Officer (CCIO) Mr. Joseph Ondoro got wind of the arrest and what was going on via an informer, he send Directorate Of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers to have the truck brought to Bungoma CID offices immediately. His order was disobeyed by the now violent officers who almost physically assaulted their colleagues on that they were up-to something fishy and therefore insisted that truck must be booked at Kanduyi. This prompted the CCIO to send a more senior DCI officer to enforce the demand that the truck be parked at Bungoma the DCIO offices without further delay.
While at the DCI offices, the CCIO then requested a multi-agency meeting that included DCI, Anti-Narcotics, NIS etc that converged at his office where together they inspected the truck and its consignment where five sacks full of bhang with estimated street value of 14.8million was recovered.
The driver was detained and arraigned in a Bungoma Court the following day on 13th June 2023 by an anti-narcotics team from Malaba where he was remanded up to 4th July 2023 awaiting an expert’s report… He therefore is at Bungoma Prisons until then.
The Mombasa Cement truck owners through its lawyer unsuccessfully requested the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to have the truck released but the court granted the application and therefore demanded that it should be availed at every hearing. This court order was served to the Anti-narcotics Unit, Malaba which is investigating the case.
