Kayole police station and the death of a man who wined and dined with officers
Mr Wycliffe Vincent Oduor is said to be a gangster in Nairobi’s Kayole estate who transformed himself into not just a trusted friend of the police, but a master planner in a number of robberies that shocked the public.
Mr Oduor, according to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), was the brains behind a Sh72 million ATM bank heist in Nairobi West in March 2019. He was gunned down a year later at Kayole Junction, Nairobi County.
This week, four police officers identified as Joseph Ojode, Charles Karimi, Bashir Ali and Henry Mutai were charged with his murder but they all pleaded not guilty. The four were arrested following recommendations by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).
“Upon conclusion of IPOA investigation into the fatal shooting at Kayole Junction Area, Nairobi County, postmortem revealed that the death of the deceased was caused by a firearm related injury. The armoury report from Kayole police station shows that the police officers from Kayole discharged rounds of live ammunition on the fateful day,” IPOA said in a statement.
Investigations by Nairobi News can now reveal that Mr Oduor, who until his death ran a club in Ruiru estate, was linked to a series of robberies within Kayole. Later he transformed himself into a police informer, before he went back to his old criminal ways while enjoying police protection.
A police source this week told Nairobi News that Mr Oduor was among the most wanted criminals in Kayole. How he ended up working with the police remains a mystery.
“He was murdered as he pleaded with police officers to spare his life. He even called out their names while asking them to let him live, but they went ahead and killed him,” said the source, who was among the eyewitnesses.
It has also emerged that just days before the killing, a meeting was held between area residents and police officers from Kayole police station to discuss land feuds that have seen many people losing millions of shillings to fraudsters.
“Mr Oduor was adversely mentioned in those deals and maybe this angered someone who decided to go after him,” our source said.
Mr Oduor, whose former neighbours in Kayole describe as a silent and dangerous thug, was also known for breaking into houses before he started working closely with police officers. He was also described as a bhang peddler who ran his business in Juja and Kayole.
Following Mr Oduor’s murder, a whistle blower, who exposed the criminal dealings of police officers associated with the deceased, claimed that he received threats from officers attached to the station.
The whistle-blower, who is protected by a government agency, said that the officers usually make arrests and demand bribes from rival groups that sell bhang in the area.
“Mr Oduor must have been killed in a deal gone sour because even before he died, he had openly said that he was sure he would be killed,” the whistle-blower said.
Mr Oduor’s death attracted the attention of criminal lawyer Cliff Ombeta who shared a clip that captured the killing, contrary to accounts from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) that the deceased was killed during a shootout between officers and thugs in Kayole.
The video was taken by an area resident who witnessed the execution.
Immediately after Mr Oduor’s death, Mr Ombeta camped at the police station and engaged IPOA and the public in an effort to unravel the murder.
Residents of Kayole have also raised concerns over another police imposter known as Maasai, who was also a close associate of Mr Oduor.
“Maasai has a fake police identification card which he is fond of displaying as he harasses members of the public,” one resident told Nairobi News.
It has also emerged that any suspected criminal who has ever worked in cahoots with the officers always ends up missing without a trace.
One case that comes to mind is that of 23-year-old Fidel Onyango Rabach. On May 2020, the young man was reportedly picked up by armed plainclothes officers and bundled into a waiting car. He has never been seen again.
A few days before he disappeared, Mr Rabach’s uncle, Mr Francis Juma Wanyunda, was also similarly picked up and bundled into a car. He was later found dead in a thicket in Machakos County.
This week, Mr Moses Rabach, Fidel’s father, said he has long stopped looking for his missing son.
“I gave up. Wherever he was taken, only God knows. But we believe one day the truth will come out,” Mr Rabach said.
Police officers within the vast Kayole neighbourhood are also infamous for their involvement in fraudulent land deals.
There is one particular case of a woman who had bought a piece of land as the second buyer, only for the first buyer to start claiming ownership.
She reported the matter at Kayole police station and parted with a bribe of Sh100,000 in the hope that she would be assisted. This never happened. Apparently, the other buyer had parted with a bigger bribe.
The same night officers from the station brought down a structure that had been put up on the land, leaving the woman counting huge losses.
It has also been reported that officers at the station are usually not transferred from the area, something that is believed to have greatly contributed to the surging cases of crime in the area.
One of our sources said the officers are only transferred within the estate and its environs. They will be moved to Obama police post, Njiru police post, Matopeni police post, Spring Valley police post and Ruai police station.