Kenyan criminals have resorted to seeking divine intervention from the other side of conventional faith in their attempt to evade the police and justice.

Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detectives has arrested one such criminal in Gachie, Kiambu County on Tuesday.

This comes after the criminal known as Miriam Mwelu was nabbed by detectives drawn from Crime Research & Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) and their Special Services Unit (SSU) counterparts.

Mwelu has been on the run after she took off with Sh4 million in cash belonging to her employer, Treasury CAS Nelson Gaichuhie, and jewellery worth Sh500,000 three weeks ago.


The detectives pounced on Mwelu, her partner identified as Timothy Akoi and the witchdoctor while they were in the middle of performing a ritual in which the suspect was being immersed in a basin of a concoction of blood from a dead chicken.


Upon realising the long limbs the justice had caught up with his clients, the witchdoctor started making some incantations, hoping it would deter the officers of the law from apprehending the suspect.


However, to the surprise of Mwelu who had shut her eyes at the time hoping to find the officers magically transported to another dimension, and Akoi, the incantations had no effect on the detectives and it only made them act faster in making their arrest.

The detectives confirmed Mwelu’s worst nightmare when she heard their voice instructing her to dress up, for it was time to go.

Police recovered cowrie shells, horns, feathers and other paraphernalia in the witch doctor’s arsenal.


It was rather funny and ironic that in the list of services that the witch doctor rendered was “Kutoshikwa na DCI” which translates to “evading the DCI” and it attracted a Sh5000 fee.

Mwelu led the detectives to her parents’ home in Ithanga, Murang’a County where they recovered Sh1.57 million and jewellery belonging to her employers.


The DCI detectives cautioned the public against unscrupulous individuals who claim they can help them evade justice because their intelligence and forensic expertise cannot be challenged by witch doctors.

“DCI is cautioning criminals who have committed crimes not to waste time seeking the services of wizards, to protect them from our officers,” the DCI said.

“Detectives rely on actionable intelligence supported forensically through science that cannot be challenged by the dark powers of a witch doctor.”