Gilbert Barasa is one of the few, if not the only Kenyan, known to have carjacked a group of the infamous Flying Squad officers and lived to tell the tale.
Speaking to NTV’s Dr King’ori, Barasa – now known as Mtumishi after switching from crime to comedy – detailed how he got sucked into a life of crime during his high school days.
“We used to have insider information when a particular car had wads of cash in it and that’s how we used to marked the vehicles for carjacking,
“One day we carjacked a flying squad vehicle along Kiambu Road after mistaking its number plates for one of the cars we were targeting on the day,” he narrated.
After boxing in the police vehicle using 4 cars of their own as they always did, one of Barasa’s accomplices sped off and that’s how he knew things were about to take a turn for the worse.
“The officers flew out of the car with their automatic rifles locked and loaded, ordering us to lie on the ground. They whipped us senselessly using electric cables,” he recounted.
According to the comedian, a miracle was the only way he could explain how the cops ended up letting them off with a stern warning.
“They told us that they had not only marked us but knew where we all lived, and that if we ever meet again under similar circumstances things would not end as amicably,” Barasa explained.
The Flying Squad is the most infamous Unit under the Kenya Police Service, with countless complaints from members of the public forcing its disbandment.
In 2018, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss George Kinoti disbanded all the flying squad sub-units within the country and issued orders that all officers hand over any police property that was in their possession.
Several witness statements issued whenever police officers were arrested while committing crimes showed that most of them had been operating as Flying squad officers.
It also emerged that some regular officers had the blessing of rogue flying squad officers and were jointly causing mayhem within the city.
The flying squad was an admired unit within the police service because the officers seem to be favoured in a way.
They did not have a limit on the number of firearms they carry, did not dress in uniform and could have any style of haircut including dreadlocks.
To replace the Flying Squad, DCI Kinoti formed another squad called Sting Squad Headquarters (SSH) composed of a maximum of 50 specialised officers.
SSH deals with armed robberies, kidnappings, motor vehicle theft and sale and distribution of contraband and substandard goods.