Gilbert Masengeli: Convicted Former Acting Police IG Appears In Court Week After Jail Sentence

• Former acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli finally appeared in court on Friday, September 20, accompanied by his lawyers
• This came a week after he was handed six months in jail after being convicted of contempt of court
• Masengeli defied seven summonses in court where he was to explain the whereabouts of three missing Kenyans abducted in Kitengela in August

Eli Odaga, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Nairobi: Erstwhile acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli finally appeared in court after weeks of avoiding summonses.

Why Masengeli was sentenced to prison

He was accompanied by his lawyers to face Justice Lawrence Mugambi, who handed him a six-month jail sentence.

This was after Masengeli defied court summonses seven times, which led to his imprisonment sentence after he was convicted of contempt of court.

Masengeli's woes followed his defiance of court summonses seven times.

He was needed in court to explain the whereabouts of three Kenyans abducted in Kitengela.

What Masengeli told court in first appearance

Taking the stand, Masengeli, who was confined to an oath, sought clemency from Justice Mugambi, saying his absence in court when needed was not deliberate and that he was held up with work commitments.

He, however, appreciated that obeying and enforcing court orders were among his responsibilities as a police officer.

"My lord, I want to thank you for the opportunity you accorded me to stand before you. Before I say anything, I would like to apologise to you and the Judiciary for the events that have transpired leading to the orders of this court. My lord, I respect you and all our courts for the good work that you do to uphold the rule of law," he pleaded.

Explaining the circumstances that caused him to miss court, the former acting IG said he was out of Nairobi when the summonses were initially made.

"I was in Coast. I went to Mombasa and Lamu enclave. On Aug 29, I was in Mpeketoni. On September 3, I was on the Kenya-Somalia border. On September 4, I was en route to Northern Kenya My Lord," he said.

How Justice Mugambi saved Masengeli

Seemingly turning lenient to the senior police officer, Mugambi allowed him a week's gap to comply with the court's wishes if he needed the sentence to be vacated.

Despite objection by the lawyers representing the Law Society of Kenya, Justice Mugambi gave Masengeli a chance to redeem himself.

In his ruling, Mugambi argued that it was only fair to grant Masengeli a chance to explain himself, given the court had ordered him to do so within seven days.

According to the judge, Masengeli was entitled to a chance of being heard, allowing him an opportunity to redeem himself.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, current affairs journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.