Crime shocks everyone beyond limits, however when the bodies bestowed with trust to protect citizens are associated with crime, then safety becomes history. Who should we trust? This concern comes after an incident where four DCI officers are linked with human trafficking.
Four Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers, and two others from the airport have allegedly been sent home to allow for investigations over human trafficking at JKIA between 2018 and 2019.
A letter signed by the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Kenya Police Service Edward Mbugua reads: “From reliable information reaching this office it is alleged that on diverse dates in 2018 and 2019 jointly with other police officers and Immigration offices at JKIA you have been involved in human trafficking.”
The four culprits from DCI and the two from Kenya Airport Police Unit (KAPU) are linked to the multi-million-dollar deal.
Surveillance has been reinforced after the US Department of State raised concerns that there were no investigations into official complicity, despite credible reports of traffickers obtaining fake identity documents from corrupt officials.
The officers have been taken off duty to allow for investigations and further probing on February 7th, 2019.
“Investigations into the allegations have been instituted to establish the truth. In order not to interfere with potential witnesses, I have decided to interdict you from duty with effect from February 7, 2019,” stated Mbugua.
The activity is exposing the country to a major security threat according to investigations by a joint team of detectives from the National Intelligence Service (NIS), (DCI and other external agencies who revealed further collusion among staff from the police, Immigration, Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and some recruitment agencies.
Kenya continues to fight with illegal recruiters with networks in Uganda and Ethiopia and who recruit Ugandan, Rwandese and Ethiopian workers through fraudulent offers in the Middle East and Asia, according to US Department of State’s 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report.
October 2018, some officers at the airport were sacked on claims of being involved in smuggling Ugandans to the Middle East for odd jobs, ranging from being house helps to porters and watchmen among others.