Court to decide fate of 2 casual workers 'arrested with grenades' outside Jimi Wanjigi's house
Calvin Ochieng' Odongo (left) and Duncan Odhiambo Otieno at the Milimani Law Courts on August 9, 2024, when police sought to detain them for 14 days to investigate allegations that they were in possession of four hand grenades.
A Nairobi court will on Monday, August 12, determine the fate of two casual labourers arrested from a vehicle parked outside the home of Safina Party leader Jimi Wanjigi allegedly with four hand grenades.
Chief Magistrate Bernard Ochoi will decide whether to allow a police request to detain Duncan Odhiambo Otieno and Calvin Ochieng’ Odongo for 14 days to interrogate them to establish the source of the alleged arms or free them on bond.
Defence lawyer John Andati on Friday pressed for the release of Otieno and Odongo on bond saying “These two were casual workers of Wanjigi who know nothing about the dangerous weapons.”
Mr Andati pleaded with the magistrate to free the two suspects on bond saying, only the police can disclose the source of the hand grenades.
Otieno and Odongo were arrested by a contingent of police officers who allegedly trailed Mr Wanjigi from the Central Business District (CBD) during the Nane Nane demonstrations up to his Muthaiga residence.
State prosecutors James Gachoka and Herbert Sonye told Mr Ochoi that Otieno and Odongo were arrested on August 8, 2024, from a vehicle, Toyota Prado registration number KDC 883R from where the alleged grenades were recovered.
The vehicle was intercepted outside Mr Wanjigi’s home in Muthaiga Estate, Nairobi. The driver of the high-end vehicle managed to escape.
Police camped outside the house of Wanjigi but did not manage to arrest him.
Lead investigator Police Constable Andrew Njagi urged Mr Ochoi to allow the police request to have the two be detained for 14 days to enable him and a multi-agency team of officers to complete investigations.
"That this honourable court be pleased to issue a custodial order authorizing detention of the suspects for 14 days to enable DCI to complete Investigations," Njagi prayed.
PC Njagi told the magistrate that police are investigating a case of being in possession of explosives contrary to section 6 (1) as read with section 29 of the Explosive Act chapter 116 laws of Kenya.
Pressing for the detention of Otieno and Odongo, Gachoka told the court that the said motor vehicle was intercepted along Muthaiga Road while trying to enter Mr Wanjigi’s home.
"The driver of the said vehicle managed to escape while the two suspects were arrested by police officers who had trailed the vehicle from Nairobi CBD to Muthaiga," Mr Gachoka said.
He said police conducted a thorough search on the said vehicle in the presence of the suspects when the explosives were recovered.
"Police recovered four explosives hand grenades black in colour, two pocket phones make Baofeng Model No UV-5R (serial numbers 24UV5R080957 and 24UV5R080480, seven pocket phone chargers, three mobile phones and a national identity card belonging to Elijah Karangu Wathuku," he told the court.
On August 9, 2024, the prosecutors urged the court to grant the police request to keep the suspects behind bars for 14 days for interrogation.
The arrest of the two was effected late in the evening of Thursday and police did not have ample time to finalise investigations which include examination of the grenades by bomb experts.
Mr Sonye added that officers from the Multi-Agencies team will require time to subject the explosives to an analysis by the Bomb Disposal experts.
He further added that police need time to establish why the suspects had to drive to the Muthaiga residence of Wanjigi.
Mr Ochoi directed the suspects be held at Central Police Station until August 12, 2024, when he will render a ruling.
Mr Wanjigi denied knowledge of the hand grenades allegedly recovered from a vehicle parked outside his house.
