Kayihura orders probe into conduct of Kenyan aide

 Inspector General of Police (IGP) Gen. Kale Kayihura.. Photo/File

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Gen. Kale Kayihura has ordered for immediate investigation into the conduct of his former Kenyan aide Ambrose Murunga in connection with torture, land grabbing and fraud Saturday Vision has learnt. The investigation sources told Saturday Vision will be supervised by the Deputy IGP Okoth Ochola.

Ochola could neither deny nor confirm when Saturday Vision contacted him. However sources privy to the Wednesday meeting told Saturday Vision that Kayihura ordered the probe after the commission of inquiry into land matters headed by Justice Catherine Bamugemereire raised the issue of land grabbing in which Murunga had been implicated to him.

Responding to the commission, Kayihura noted that Murunga was no longer working with them and that he had got to know about the allegations of land grabbing in the media. "I will investigate the reported cases and prosecute him. I will start with the internal affairs because he might renew his work permit," Kayihura noted.

The investigations also come in the wake of the revelation by Kenyan police in an article published by the Star newspaper that contrary to claims that Murunga was a Superintendent of police, he was actually a constable at the Directorate of Criminal Investigation before he was fired in 2002 for fraud.

In exclusive story published two weeks ago, Saturday Vision revealed how Murunga who was at the peak of his career in the force was perhaps one of the most feared men in security circles. Until he appeared before the land probe committee, few in the police force dared to take on the man who had slowly elbowed his way to the top and rose to become an equivalent of the Russian oligarchs.

A former Kenyan police colleague who worked with Murunga told Saturday Vision that he was a brilliant officer, one they wanted to retain. Saturday Vision has learnt that with his brilliance, Murunga won the trust and confidence of the Ugandan security officers who utilized his brilliance and later passed him over to Gen. Kale Kayihura.

An investigation by Saturday Vision also indicate that Murunga would allegedly intimidate suspects and extort money from them, he would reportedly mudsling senior officers before Kayihura prompting him to take over high profile criminal cases where he would cause the arrest of suspects involved and he would reportedly make the suspects pay huge amounts of money before they could be released on police bond, the source revealed.  

Sources also revealed that Murunga exploited the high trust Gen. Kayihura had in him to manipulate the institution of police for his own personal aggrandizement and blackmailed senior officers before the IGP. Those who never spoke for themselves, lost jobs.

Impeccable police sources told Saturday Vision that efforts to renew Murunga expired contract were stopped after he was found to be part of the team that mishandled Equity Bank Fraud case in which sh4.6 billion was stolen from customer's bank account and later the recovered money also stolen from the exhibit.

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