Three senior Administration Police officers have been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for their role in the death of a reveller during a crackdown in Umau village, Embu County.
Lady Justice Florence Muchemi also handed three recruits a five-year jail term each after being found guilty of the murder of Mr Danson Wachira, who died after being struck on the head during a raid on January 11, 2014.
Mr Peter Musau Maweu and Mr Jonathan Nzivo, together with recruits Mr John Nabea, Mr Bernard Engolet and Mr Sammy Mwova, the court said, should have ensured the wellbeing of the suspects.
They had had denied killing Mr Wachira, a miraa farmer, during a raid on pubs at Umau village, Mbeere South sub-county.
The five were leading an operation to arrest revellers, who were drinking beyond recommended hours, when they beat up the deceased and bundled him into a vehicle before taking him to Kiritiri Police Station.
However, on arrival at the station, the officer manning the booking office declined to book Mr Wachira and advised the officers to take him to the hospital since he was badly injured.
The officers, however, abandoned the deceased three kilometres from the police station where his decomposing body was later found.
During the hearing that spanned four years, an Embu court was forced to issue a warrant of arrest for the three recruits after they failed to appear in court.
On Thursday, Lady Justice Muchemi ruled that the prosecution, led by Brenda Nandwa, had linked the police officers with the death since the farmer was last seen in their custody.
The two senior administration officers were based at Kiritiri police station and have been out on a Sh500,000 bond.
