DPP drops Peponi crash charges, orders fresh DCI probe over alleged cover-up
Key points
- DPP ordered withdrawal of dangerous driving charges against Stephen Kinuthia Maara over the Peponi School crash.
- Crash on 25 April 2026 killed two Ugandan students; case was Kibera Traffic Case E1541/2026.
- Senior Counsel Philip Murgor, for Belgian national Vincent Boulanger, raised investigation-conduct and driver-identity concerns.
- DPP directed a new investigation team to take over from the OCS Karen Police Station for a thorough probe.
A traffic file that looked closed is open again — by order of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The DPP has withdrawn dangerous-driving charges against Stephen Kinuthia Maara over the Peponi School crash that killed two Ugandan students, and ordered the DCI to rebuild the investigation, Capital FM reported.
The crash occurred on 25 April 2026. Complaints from Senior Counsel Philip Murgor, representing Belgian national Vincent Boulanger, questioned how the probe was run and whether the right person was charged as the driver. In a letter to the DCI, the DPP directed that Kibera Traffic Case E1541/2026 — Republic versus Stephen Maara — be withdrawn “forthwith to facilitate thorough investigations,” and that a new team take over from the Officer Commanding Karen Police Station. The directive is a rare public course-correction that puts both police competence and prosecutorial independence under a spotlight.
Withdrawal is not an acquittal of the truth
Dropping charges protects process integrity when evidence is thin or conflicted; it does not erase two deaths or end civil liability questions. Families need a transparent timeline for the new team’s work, not another year of silence.
Crime desk: Crime. Verified case number, date, parties and DPP wording from Capital FM.
DCI should publish a public investigation plan with milestones. Witnesses should be re-interviewed under the new team’s chain of command, not recycled statements alone.
Until a credible file returns to court — or is closed with reasons — Peponi will remain a synonym for unfinished justice.
Official gazettes, court rulings and agency circulars may update these facts after publication; readers should verify any deadline, fee or court date against primary sources before acting.
Schools and parents awaiting answers should get a written timeline from DCI on when the new team expects to report, not only a letter withdrawing the old charge sheet.
Based on Capital FM reporting of the DPP directive. Fresh findings will determine any future charges.
