Court clerk arrested on accusation of receiving Ksh500,000 to steal file from magistrate’s safe

Detectives in Kisauni, Mombasa County have arrested a court
clerk over a missing file in a drug-related case.

Kisauni Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss
Josephat Kisingu said the clerk, James Makumi, who is stationed at Shanzu Law
Courts, was arrested alongside David Kiatu, in charge of the courts archives
over the missing file.

The DCI boss said a third suspect, Mark Otieno, was also
arrested on suspicion of having given Ksh500,000 to the court clerk for the
missing file in the Ksh2 million valued drug-haul.

“Initial investigations indicate that the file went missing
a day prior to the mention date which was listed on June 24. The magistrate
reported that the file had gone missing and investigations were started and it
was established that it had been put under lock and key in the Magistrates
chamber and the only other person who had access to the file was his court
clerk,” he said.

According to police investigations, the case in which
Rosemary Kavinya had been charged with being in possession of cocaine valued at
Ksh2, 017, 200 had been listed for hearing on June 24 last month.

Kavinya had denied the charges on June 12, 2020, when she
appeared before Shanzu Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo and had been released
on a bond awaiting trial.

Further, the DCI boss said that police were looking for
other suspects who are still at large.

“Detectives are following crucial leads that will bring to book other suspects who are alleged to have handed over Ksh500,000 to the third suspect to facilitate the disappearance of the file,” he said.