Police documents clash over Samidoh’s international trip and desertion status

Conflicting documents from police authorities have brought confusion over the travel and current status of Samuel Muchoki Ndirangu, popularly known as Samidoh.

A memo from the Office of the Inspector General of the National Police Service (NPS), dated April 25, 2025, confirmed that the police officer was granted official travel clearance to visit the United States for a private trip.

“Travel clearance is hereby granted to the above-named officer to travel to the United States of America for a private visit. The officer will leave the Country on May 20, 2025 and travel back on June 9, 2025,”  the document states, specifying that the trip was privately funded.

Despite this, a different memo circulated on June 9, 2025, indicated that Samidoh had failed to return from his leave, and his whereabouts were unknown.

The second memo classified him as a deserter with effect from June 6, 2025, and noted that he had “failed to return from off-duty on May 27, 2025,” with police directing efforts to locate him, including a visit to his home in Nyandarua West Sub-County.

The discrepancy between the two memos highlights the lack of clear, centralized records concerning police officers’ movements, especially those on approved international trips.

As of now, Samidoh has not responded publicly to either the travel clearance or the desertion notice. Instead, he shared a cryptic message on social media quoting Abraham Lincoln: “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not to themselves!”

The situation underscores the need for better record-keeping and communication within the police force to avoid such contradictions in official statements.