Police have filed an application before a Nakuru Court seeking to have Tiaty law maker William Kassait Kamket detained for 14 days to allow completion of investigation into murder and robbery with violence allegations they intend to level against him. Officers from the Directorate of Criminal arrested Mr Kamket on Wednesday afternoon after linking him to the violence in Laikipia County that has left eight people dead and hundreds displaced. Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecution Alloys Kemo from the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) submitted before Senior Principal Magistrate Lilian Arika that detectives also needed more to probe allegations of stock theft, malicious damage to property, disobedience of the law and incitement to violence against the Kanu legislator.
In the miscellaneous application supported by a sworn affidavit by Superintendent Stephen Ambani, the hearing that was conducted virtually stated that the offenses that Kamket is linked to had led to the loss of lives, grave injuries, and displacement of people within Laikipia County. In the application filed under a certificate of urgency, Mr Kemo told the court that several aspects of the case were yet to be concluded, including recording of statements from witnesses, obtaining postmortem reports of deceased persons, and tracing and arresting of suspected perpetrators, thus ample time required to complete investigations. The MP who is represented by Mr Bernard Kipkoech is being held at Kaptembwo police station.
Kemo informed the court that due to the complexity of the matter, DCI Laikipia County has sought assistance from the DCI in Nakuru to allow better coordination in investigations between officers in the two counties. Ms Arika heard that the manner in which the offenses were committed portrayed prior organization and planning by several masterminds including the MP and hence the police were obligated to carry out in-depth investigations so as to unearth the planners involved in the entire conspiracy. “The offenses have caused tension and security concerns that have caused Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of Government to declare a dusk to dawn curfew within Laikipia Nature Conservancy, within Laikipia County,” the Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecution indicated
Mr Kipkoech said the prosecution had not made out a case for the continued detention of the respondent for 14 days at the Kaptembwo Police Station. Opposing the application the defense counsel said his client could not be a flight risk because he is a legislator and a state officer with known abode. Ms Arika will rule on the application on Friday morning.