Kenya's Police boss sentenced to 6 months in jail

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“Mr Masengeli is ordered to surrender himself to the Commissioner General of Prisons to serve his sentence.

High Court Judge Lawrence Mugambi has sentenced Acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli to six months in jail for contempt of court.

This is after Mr Masengeli snubbed court summons seven times.

“Mr Masengeli is ordered to surrender himself to the Commissioner General of Prisons to serve his sentence. In the event he fails to surrender himself to prison, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior must take steps to ensure he is committed to prison to serve his sentence,” ruled Justice Mugambi.

The police boss was required to appear in court to explain circumstances surrounding disappearance of three people in Kitengela. They went missing on August 19.

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK), which moved to court over the disappearance of activist Bob Micheni Njagi and brothers Jamil Longton and Nadim Hamed on August 19, said Mr Masengeli was deliberately defying the court orders and should be punished.

Previously, Chief State Counsel Charles Mutinda had said the police boss skipped court because he was in Mombasa, Garissa, Isiolo and Lamu for security operations. The police also asked to be allowed to send someone in his stead.

However, Justice Mugambi declined to vary his earlier order for Mr Masengeli to appear in court in person, saying the police boss must first purge the contempt before he can be granted audience.