A Ngong court has handed life sentences to three men after they were found guilty of violent robbery involving items valued at just over Ksh.28,000.

The convicts, Brian Kutitila Wanyama, Japhnae Wanyonyi Mukalama, and Thomas Wakoli Malava, were convicted of attacking and robbing a man in Kajiado West on December 18, 2021, according to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

Details of the Robbery

The ruling followed a trial where Prosecutor Filah Martins successfully demonstrated that the trio robbed Andrew Muthure Wairia of a Huawei Y9 mobile phone worth Ksh24,990, a memory card valued at Ksh3,995, and a pair of Reebok shoes worth Ksh4,000.

Court records revealed that before escaping, the attackers not only physically assaulted Wairia but also unlawfully transferred Ksh3,970 from his account to a phone line registered under Wanyama’s name.

Their actions, the court ruled, met the threshold of robbery with violence, a capital offence under Kenyan law that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Additional Sentences for Convicts

The sentencing did not stop there. Wanyama received an additional two-year sentence for resisting arrest in a separate incident that occurred in Kajiado North on December 29, 2021.

On the other hand, Malava was handed a second life sentence for another violent robbery. In that case, he and other accomplices robbed Patrick Kariuki of property worth Ksh227,000.

Among the stolen items were a smart TV worth Ksh95,000, a Honda concrete vibrator valued at Ksh36,000, several mobile phones worth Ksh44,000, and Ksh50,000 in cash.

The judgment, which underscored the seriousness of violent robbery, was welcomed by the prosecution as a strong signal that the justice system would not tolerate such acts.

Kenya police vehicle at the crime scene. PHOTO/ NTV X.