DPP drops Peponi crash charges, orders fresh DCI investigation over alleged cover-up

Kenya's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has dropped the dangerous driving charges against Stephen Kinuthia Maara in connection with the Peponi School crash that took the lives of two Ugandan students and severely injured a third. The decision comes after complaints from Senior Counsel Philip Murgor, representing Belgian national Vincent Boulanger, who raised serious concerns about the investigation and the premature charging of Maara.

The DPP has instructed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to conduct a fresh and more thorough probe, ordering the withdrawal of the case under the file number Kibera Traffic Case E1541/2026. The new investigation team will take over from the Officer Commanding Karen Police Station. The crash, which occurred on April 25, 2026, claimed the lives of Daniele Kembabazi and Yzeera Sebunya, while Samuel Boulanger remains seriously injured.

Maara initially pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, but later changed his plea to not guilty. The lawyers argue that the prosecution was premature, as investigators had not conclusively established who was driving the vehicle at the time of the crash. They claim that contradictory decisions by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) have raised questions about the thoroughness of the investigation, and they demand the inclusion of crucial evidence such as digital forensic reports, medical evidence, postmortem reports, and CCTV footage.

Murgor and Murgor Advocates described the situation as a "massive coverup," alleging that the actual driver could be shielded from criminal and civil liability. They also questioned whether investigators had obtained crucial phone and CCTV evidence in time, given that more than 100 days have passed since the crash.