'Fake cop' Joshua Waiganjo acquitted of all charges

Joshua Waiganjo, the man who made headlines 11 years ago for allegedly impersonating senior police officers, can now breathe a sigh of relief after a Naivasha court acquitted him of all charges levelled against him on Thursday.

Waiganjo had, among others, been charged with four counts of impersonating senior police officers, illegally being in possession of police uniforms, and two charges of robbery with violence.

Naivasha Chief Magistrate Nathan Lutta, while issuing the verdict, referenced a 2017 Court of Appeal ruling that ordered Waiganjo's release.

He added that the court ruling had acquitted Waiganjo on two counts of robbery with violence after the complainants failed to testify in court.

Waiganjo was however sentenced to five years in jail for impersonating a police officer, one year for dressing in police uniform, and six months each for three charges of being in possession of government stores.

He however appealed his sentencing at the Naivasha High Court, which ordered a retrial, before moving to the Appellate court in 2017 which dismissed the case entirely on grounds that it lacked legal basis.

“The court is bound by the doctrine of Stare Decisis and the accused is hereby released,” Magistrate Lutta ruled.