Kenyan police bosses to be charged over Al-Shabaab attack

Former Garissa police boss Benjamin Ong’ombe and station commander Charles Ayaro are likely to be charged with negligence over the April 2, 2015 massacre at the Garissa University College that claimed the lives of 148 students.

The National Police Service has said investigations, headed by North Eastern DCI boss Mohammed Amin, have concluded that former DCI boss Musa Yego, AP commander Christopher Muthee and county police boss Charles Wambugu be retired in the public interest.

Other top security chiefs interdicted over the attack are Anti-Terror Police Unit boss Nicholas Kimanzi and sub-county AP boss John Cheruiyot.

Ong’ombe was put on the spot over allegations he ordered the withdrawal of a metal detector just before the attack.

Investigators concluded that there was no evidence to charge six other top security officials. Instead, they recommended they be dealt with ‘internally’ by their employer.

Former Garissa county commissioner Njenga Miiri, who was among the eight interdicted security officials, has since been reinstated and moved to Sheria House as a security adviser.

Earnest Munyi, who was the regional coordinator, retired in June after reaching the retirement age of 60 years.

A report by the Internal Affairs unit, headed by Leo Nyongesa, has, however, contradicted the findings by the DCI.

The report absolves the station commander of blame and states that he was new in Garissa when the incident happened and could not, therefore, be held to be negligent.

Last year, internal police investigations revealed that the bosses left their workstation, despite having knowledge of the planned attack.

“The senior command was absent on the eve of the attack and immediately after,” the report states.

“There was prior knowledge of terrorist attacks to be conducted during the Easter holidays on government facilities, churches, and educational institutions, mainly frequented or dominated by the non-Muslim population.”

Despite the NPSC’s decision, it has not made any formal communication to the officers.