Woman, Ex-GSU Husband Unite To Rob Kenyans Seeking Police Clearance Certificates

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrested a 30-year-old woman in Kitale, Trans Nzoia County who teamed up with her husband to con Kenyans seeking police clearance certificates.

In a statement, DCI revealed that the woman had defrauded unsuspecting members of the public of thousands of shillings in the masquerade of a Crime Records Officer capable of processing the highly sought-after clearance certificates for them.

Noline Awuor Odika alias Inspector Jane Atieno was arrested on Wednesday evening, November 9 in the Maridadi area of Kwanza in Trans Nzoia county, in an operation conducted by crime researchers and operations detectives.

DCI revealed that her husband is a former General Service Unit (GSU) officer and together, they utilised SIM cards from mobile service providers to obtain money from their targets.

A mugshot of the suspect arrested by detectives for defrauding Kenyans seeking police clearance certificates on November 8, 2023. /DCI

"Jointly with her ex-GSU hubby Keith Wanyama Yamame, the lovers in crime used about 11 subscriber sim cards to communicate and receive money from their targets, whom they issued with fake certificates at a Ksh3,000 fee.

"Notably, the certificates either bore forged signatures or those lifted from previous office holders who are long retired," stated the DCI.

The detectives mounted a sting operation that culminated in her arrest. However, the woman's husband managed to escape the dragnet, leaving her at the hands of the sleuths.

The former GSU cop also abandoned a Subaru car that was detained by police as detectives staged a manhunt for him.

"In the sting operation that netted her, Wanyama the blackguard ex-cop sprinted into thin air braving the evening shivers, leaving behind a wife and a Subaru car that police detained. Sleuths are sharpening their claws on him," added the DCI.

Meanwhile, the DCI has facilitated the deployment of more staff at the Forensic Fingerprint Identification Bureau (FFID) to fast-track the processing of police clearance applications, with the hope of significantly reducing the wait time.

In September 2023, the DCI attributed the delay in processing police clearance certificates to system updates.

“The processing of Police Clearance Certificates at DCI Headquarters has been fully restored after a duration of system upgrade,” the DCI said in a statement.

The investigative agency also noted that the office of the Principal Criminal Registrar (PCR) had set up measures to clear the backlog.

During the period of delay, the PCR office opted for manual processing of the clearance certificates for urgent cases.

With the upgraded system applicants will no longer need to book fingerprinting dates on the e-citizen system. Applicants will instead select their preferred fingerprinting centres based on the convenience and place they are in.

“To avoid instances of return to sender, applicants are reminded to ensure that the Identity Card (ID) card copies attached to the filled application forms are well duplicated, with attention to the thumbprint impression,” DCI further noted.

For months Kenyans raised concerns over the long time it takes to get a police clearance certificate, with some applicants being forced to wait for the documents for up to seven months.

Police clearance certificates are crucial for many who for instance need jobs and want to travel to some countries.

The police clearance certificate section at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters along Kiambu Road. /DCI