State House pretender convicted of stealing Sh5.7m vehicle

A man who pretended to be a senior State House official was on Tuesday convicted of stealing a trader's Sh5.7 million Toyota Land Cruiser. 

Kibera senior resident magistrate Esther Boke will sentence Erick Kiplagat on Wednesday.

The convict was charged with stealing the vehicle, registration KBR 665 J, at Calabash restaurant in Karen on March 8, last year.

He had met the complainant at the restaurant and asked to be allowed to inspect the vehicle.  He thereafter drove away and never returned. 

The investigating officer (from Lang’ata police station) said he arrested Kiplagat after he returned to Nairobi from his hideout in Nakuru.

The other witnesses were the complainant and three other people who recognised him as the person who stole the vehicle.

In his defence, Kiplagat said he was arrested by Flying Squad officers on his arrival from Nakuru with a friend to buy a vehicle.

He said he did not steal the Land Cruiser. He said he was not the accused as his names were different from the ones in the charge sheet.

Magistrate Boke said the evidence before the court was overwhelming and convicted him accordingly.

When asked for mitigation, Kiplagat only said he had a headache. The magistrate ordered his detention until this morning when he will be sentenced. 

Edited by R.Wamochie 

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