A text message sent by Likoni Sub-County Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Chief Inspector, Charles Okoth Onyango, requesting a suspected drug dealer for the usual weekly protection fee landed him in trouble with anti-graft officers.
According to an officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, a drug dealer commonly known as Mama Ali had fallen out with Onyango after he failed to pay required protection fee for over two weeks.
Onyango, in a recorded phone conversation, had threatened to drive to Mtongwe to collect the fee, after the woman declined to send the money through M-Pesa.
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But Mama Ali later called Onyango and agreed to drop the usual amount of Sh20,000 at a bar near Soko Mjinga.
Unbeknown to the DCI officer, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) detectives had raided Mama Ali's house in search of drugs.
Also, Mama Ali had tipped off the police of the protection fee he had been paying the DCI officer.
“Ali in the conversation had expressed frustrations at Onyango over his failure to control junior officers, from harassing and raiding her house despite receiving weekly protection fee,” said the EACC officer.
It’s believed that Mama Ali had alerted the EACC officers after Onyango threatened him with dire consequences.
“Ali seemed to have agreed to send one of his men to hand over the money to Onyango immediately after he alerted the EACC officers, who waylaid him waiting for the delivery of the money,” the EACC officer said.
Mombasa Urban Sub County Police Commander Eliud Monari said that investigations are still ongoing.
“I cannot divulge more information since,EACC officers are still recording statements in relation to the matter,” he said.
In February 2019, Onyango had been arrested by EACC officers in Likoni over another allegation of receiving a bribe.
But he was never arraigned after the arrest.
