A Nairobi courtroom erupted in unexpected laughter after a suspect made a desperate plea not for freedom, but for immediate imprisonment.

The scene unfolded on November 14, when the accused stunned the magistrate by declaring he was ready to serve a two-year sentence, foregoing the standard wait for a pre-sentencing probation report.

The case, which has taken a strange turn, stems from an incident on July 3, 2025, at the Jubilee Insurance House, located along Moi Avenue Street in Nairobi’s Central Business District.

According to the prosecution, a brown Toyota Hilux double-cabin, registration number KDB 336C, was left with a parking boy named John.

Contrary to instructions, John handed the vehicle’s ignition keys to the accused, Peter Yona, to secure a parking space.

Yona then allegedly drove off with the car and never returned.

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Theft and Unanswered Questions

The accused, while appearing before the court, and the court clerk narrating how the events took place, the clerk noted that, “The accused person escaped with the motor vehicle and did not return the same to the complainant.”

He further stated that the vehicle remains missing despite the arrest of the accused.

“When the accused person was arrested, he was unable to explain the whereabouts of the motor vehicle,” the clerk lamented.

Faced with the evidence, the magistrate asked the accused for his plea on the theft charges.

In a move that defied all courtroom convention, the accused did not protest his innocence or plead for leniency.

Instead, he openly and eagerly accepted the charges, pushing for a swift conclusion to his case.

He specifically requested a two-year jail term to begin immediately, expressing frustration with the remand process.

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A Commentary on Remand Conditions

His calculated decision to choose a guaranteed prison sentence over the uncertainty of pre-trial detention resonated with public sentiment online.

A comment on social media platform X from user @direaljemoe echoed this sentiment, stating, “Remand life is a mess to many when no one is coming to either support you in terms of bail or bond…food always is a problem. The guy has seen the future, better to be jailed, that’s only freedom denied, but food is more plentiful than being starved.”

The magistrate, taken aback by the request, has not yet delivered a final judgment.

The case has been adjourned, leaving the court to deliberate on a punishment for a man who seems to be pleading for it, a situation that lays bare severe critiques of the justice and detention systems.

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Court gravel and hand cuffs for illustration purposes. PHOTO/DPP X