NAIROBI, Kenya Jul 25 – A Nairobi court was shocked Friday when it discovered massive vandalism at Africa Spirits factory in Thika during a tour.
Officials said Kenya Revenue Authority seals were missing or tampered with. Safes were also found to have been vandalised and alcohol boxes damaged or broken.
Also damaged extensively were electric switches and computers, TVs and drums of ethanol were missing according to officials in the visit.
The server room was also forcibly broken into and machines vandalized, they said.
CCTV cameras were also vandalized and lawyers said they noticed water bottles with 2020 manufacture dates in rooms that were supposedly sealed from last year.
In one of the warehouses marked as A, it was established that a Kenya Revenue Authority customs seal that had been used to secure the doors was missing.
It also emerged that the doors to the warehouse had been welded together, but it was unclear when this was done.
Lawyers Cecil Miller and Kioko Kilukumi, who are acting for businessman Humphrey Kariuki, complained that they had not been supplied with an inventory, which would determine tempering of the scene.
Defense lawyers sought an undertaking from the prosecution and investigating officer if the scene was as it was on 31st January 2019 when the factory was raided in a highly publicized takeover.
The court was informed that there were five warehouses in the premises.
The defense raised issue with welding at the premises, terming it an interference with the crime scene.
The investigating officer told the court that all doors to the warehouses had been welded and had to be unwelded as court waited on Friday for access.
Defence lawyers sought to know on whose instructions welding was done at the premises and whether KRA have consent.
The prosecutor said she was unable to respond and would leave that to the investigating officer.
The court said it would only take note whether there were seals or not, and would leave further probing to cross-examination.
It was at warehouse A where a suspected death and theft occurred and defense lawyers sought to know whether the alleged officer who died was in a warehouse that had been sealed.
In warehouse A, there were broken electric sockets and switches evident.
On Tuesday, the court made its first public visit to the factory following a high profile raid more than one year ago.
The visit by the Nairobi Chief Magistrate’s Court was to ascertain the state of the factory and the premises, which are now a crime scene.
Inside the factory premises, the lawyer for Wines of the World (WoW) Beverages, Macmillan Ouma, pointed out to the court that the main gate and an adjacent one did not have customs seals.
The two gates, he notified the court, had fresh welding marks and did not have padlocks.
Ouma also observed that cars parked within the compound had been vandalized.
Two other gates on the periphery marked as Gate C and E, however, had customs seals on the inside.
During the court visit, the legal team representing businessman Humphrey Kariuki pointed out that part of the electric fence appeared to have been tampered with at Gate E.
Lawyer Miller told the court that part of the wires were sagging and also sought to know if the fence was powered.
The officers at the scene however told the court that the electric fence was not powered.
When the court made its way into the factory compound, it was observed that there was fresh welding at the main gate.
Nairobi Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi was informed that the General Service Unit formally took over control of security at the premises on June 24.
The Occurrence Book at the premises contains 38 entries made between June 24 and July 21.
Before that, the factory was guarded by regular police from Thika.
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