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Church elder in court for insulting police officer


A church elder who allegedly hurled insults at a police officer at Kamukunji Police Station in Nairobi has been charged with offensive conduct contrary to section 94 (1) of the penal code.

Mr Reuben Langat is facing charges of using abusive language on the police officer at the station’s customer care desk on June 7, 2023.

Mr Langat has also been charged with resisting to have his fingerprints taken contrary to section 55 (a) of the National Police Service Act of 2011.

The National Police Service Act requires fingerprints of all criminal suspects be taken for criminal records and profiling.

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Mr Langat had arrived at the station in company of two women from a lodging in River Road to report the theft his mobile phone after spending the night there.

The two women wanted the police help to settle the matter with Mr Langat and had explained to the police officer that the accused person had lost a phone at their premises and they were willing to pay him.

The two women wanted to ascertain the cost of the phone so that they could pay him. The female police officer explained to Mr Langat that he needed to show a receipt for the phone to prove its ownership and its cost.

But Mr Langat allegedly became unruly and disrespectful to the officer before he insulted her. The complainant’s colleague who witnessed the altercation arrested Mr Langat and placed him in custody.

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The accused person was later escorted to an investigations office in the station where the officer assigned to investigate the case prepared to take his fingerprints as the criminal procedure requires but Mr Langat allegedly refused to permit the same.

Officers at the office explained to him the consequences of his actions but he still did not allow his fingerprints to be taken prompting them to charge him with the offence.

Mr Langat denied the two charges before Principal Magistrate Eric Mutunga of Makadara Law Courts. He claimed through his lawyer that he is a church elder and can’t utter the words in the charge sheet read in court.

He pleaded for a lenient cash bail of Sh10,000 saying he is ready to abide by the court but prosecution counsel Joy Kaaria opposed the proposed cash bail telling the court to consider the seriousness of the offense the accused is facing.

The suspect was released on a bond of Sh100,000 without an option of a cash bail. The case will be mentioned on July 31, 2023 before hearing starts on October 31, 2023.

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