Kisumu police officer arrested for aiding escape of suspect in child exploitation case

By Stanley Kimoru 

A police officer based at Obwolo Police Post in Kisumu East Sub-county has been arrested following allegations of aiding a suspect charged with child exploitation to escape from lawful custody.

The incident, reported  at Gita Police Station, came to light after Corporal Susan Kwach attended a court session at Winam Law Courts on April 22, only to discover that the suspect, Jacobo Onyango Nyaminya, 19, was missing.

According to police, Nyaminya, who had earlier pleaded to charges under Section 15(f) of the Sexual Offences Act for benefiting from child prostitution, was scheduled to be in court for a hearing.

He had been remanded at Kodiaga Prison or alternatively required to raise a bond of KSh 600,000 or cash bail of KSh 100,000.

However, investigations revealed that Police Constable Moses Cheserek, who was tasked with transferring the suspect from court cells to Obwolo Police Post, allegedly released him under unclear circumstances. 

The suspect has since gone missing, and efforts to trace and re-arrest him have so far yielded no results.

"PC Cheserek has since been arrested and is set to face charges of aiding a prisoner to escape from lawful custody under Section 124(a) of the Penal Code," the police said.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kisumu East is handling the case.

Authorities are now appealing to the public for any information that could lead to the rearrest of Nyaminya.