A tourist of Polish origin was Wednesday arraigned at the Milimani law courts over a drone that strayed into the private residence of Deputy President William Ruto in Karen on Monday night, March 29.
Piotr Lukasz Litwiniuk was charged with four counts: importation of unmanned aircraft without a permit issued by the authority, operating an unmanned aircraft system without authorisation, operating an unmanned aircraft system without a pilot licence, and failing to register an unmanned aircraft.
According to the charge sheet, Piotr Lukasz imported the Mavic Air2 drone model number MA2UE3W through the Moi International Airport on January 7, 2021 without a permit from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority(KCAA).
He was also charged with operating an unmanned aircraft system without authorisation from KCAA on March 29.
The court heard that GSU officers manning Ruto’s residence spotted the drone flying over the home and monitored it as it retreated to a neighbour’s compound.
The incident was reported to Hardy Police Station before it was referred to the DCIO’s office who later visited the scene together with the OCS for Hardy police station.
They discovered the drone in the neighbour’s residence. The suspect, who is the owner of the drone, told police he is in Kenya for holiday.
Appearing before Milimani chief magistrate Martha Mutuku, Litwiniuk denied the charges.
The court released the accused on a cash bail of Sh200, 000 or a bond of Sh500, 000.
The matter will be mentioned after two weeks.
