The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has approved 17 fresh charges against 15 officers attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) over the alleged kidnapping of two Indian nationals and their Kenyan driver in 2022.
According to the ODPP, the officers are expected to appear before the Kahawa Law Courts on September 7, 2026, to take plea after the court issued summons requiring them to appear before Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku.
The charges arise from an incident on July 22, 2022, in Nairobi County, when the prosecution alleges that the officers, travelling in four motor vehicles alongside other people whose identities have not been disclosed, trailed and intercepted a vehicle carrying the two Indian nationals and their Kenyan driver.
According to the prosecution, the suspects will face various charges.
“The suspects will face charges including kidnapping with intent to murder, contrary to Section 258 of the Penal Code; conspiracy to commit a felony, contrary to Section 393 of the Penal Code; and subjecting a person to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment,” the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said.
The officers will also face charges relating to forgery, committing cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and cooperating in the execution of such treatment.
The prosecution alleges that the three victims were intercepted after being followed by the group in the four vehicles.
The fresh prosecution follows the termination of earlier murder proceedings against the officers by the High Court.
The decision opened the way for the DPP to pursue a new case based on the evidence available to prosecutors.
“The new charges were filed after the High Court terminated the earlier murder proceedings against the accused persons, paving the way for the prosecution to institute fresh charges based on the available evidence,” the ODPP stated.
The new charges therefore mark a fresh push by the prosecution to pursue the case after the earlier proceedings came to an end.
The case dates back to July 2022, when the two Indian nationals and their Kenyan driver disappeared after allegedly being intercepted in Nairobi.
The prosecution has linked officers from both the DCI and NIS to the alleged operation.
The 15 officers will now have an opportunity to respond to the allegations when they appear before the Kahawa court next month.
For the officers, the charges remain allegations until proved in court, with the prosecution required to establish the case against each accused person beyond reasonable doubt.
The fresh proceedings will now determine whether the evidence relied upon by the DPP is sufficient to sustain the charges.