Kilifi, KENYA: Police in Kilifi have confiscated a truck carrying hundreds of bags of charcoal at Mnarani along Kilifi –Mombasa highway after the truck was allegedly involved in an accident with the Ganze DCIO and Administration police vehicles.
Kilifi OCPD Alexander Makau confirmed to Baraka FM on Thursday that the accident occurred after the DCI vehicle which was chasing the truck blocked it.
“The accident involved the Ganze DCI vehicle and the lorry,” Makau told journalists.
“The charcoal and the truck belong to two different people but what we are not aware is whether it was by chance that the two police vehicles met at the scene during their normal patrols,” added Makau.
The OCPD said the traffic police released the driver of the lorry and the owner of the charcoal but he did not state under which conditions they were released.
“After networking with traffic officer who visited the scene OCS Kilifi said that the lorry had not committed any traffic offence because the DCI vehicle blocked it,” Makau said.
“The police cars were taken to the police station for inspection and an inquiry file has been opened and the police are to be blamed,” he said.
He said they will contact Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Officers to access the value of the charcoal confiscated.
The OCPD called on the KFS to deploy their officers in all roadblocks manned by the multi-agency team.
“You see, if they deploy their officers on these roadblocks, it will discourage the police from releasing vehicles ferrying forest products. We do not want a situation where the police are blamed for allowing the products to pass through. I wonder how the lorry passed all the roadblocks from Magarini to Kilifi,” he said.
Makau said both the charcoal dealer and the transporter will be arraigned in court.
