Kenyan court drops six-month jail sentence for police chief

NAIROBI, Kenya | Xinhua | The Kenyan High Court on Friday lifted a six-month sentence for the police chief after he tendered an apology for contempt in a case related to the disappearance of three political activists.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli, who was Acting Inspector General of the Police at the time of the disappearance of three human rights activists, had been sentenced to six months in prison, a sentence which was later suspended for seven days to allow him to purge the contempt.

Masengeli had failed to appear in court despite being summoned seven times to explain the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of three persons who went missing on Aug. 19 during anti-government demonstrations.

The police chief appeared in court on Friday to tender his apology, citing official duties as the reason for his non-appearance and stating he was involved in critical security operations in the country.

“I humbly apologize to this Honourable Court for breaking orders and undertake to comply in the future. The non-attendance in court, however, was not intentional but rather due to operational challenges,” Masengeli said.

High Court Judge Justice Lawrence Mugambi stated that the court found Masengeli was remorseful for the contempt of court conviction, noting that he found the police chief’s apology to be genuine and sincere, leading to the lifting of his six-month sentence.

He said Masengeli was calm before the court and pleaded for forgiveness and mercy from the court.

The judge said the police chief stated on oath why he could not attend court, including his day of sentencing.

“The supremacy of the law has been vindicated and up to this moment, Masengeli has successfully punched the contempt of court conviction. As a result, the conviction and sentence are hereby set aside,” the judge ruled.

The move came hours after the three political activists who had been missing for a month after their abduction were found alive Friday morning after being dumped on the roadside in the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi.

The Law Society of Kenya, an umbrella body of lawyers which filed the case, argued that the missing persons had used their social media platforms to encourage youth participation in nationwide protests and advocated for the rejection of the Finance Bill 2024. ■