A man who shoplifted cooking oil and other items from Naivas Supermarket on Wednesday was sentenced to one year imprisonment or pay Sh100,000 fine.
Alvin Chivondo, 22, admitted to stealing the goods worth Sh3,165 on April 10, 2022, at Naivas Development House branch along Moi Avenue in Nairobi. He also pleaded guilty to dishonestly retaining stolen items.
He admitted to stealing 5kg Daawat long grain rice, 500gms American gourmet honey, 500gms Fahari ya Kenya tea leaves, five litres of Fresh Fry cooking oil and 2kg of Kabras sugar.
Chivondo appeared before Milimani chief magistrate Wendy Micheni.
The court heard that Chivondo went to the shopping hall of Naivas Development House branch at about 2100 hours posing as a customer.
He picked the items worth Sh3,165 from the shelves, placed them in a shopping basket and later put them into a carrier bag. He then attempted to walk away without paying for the items.
The staff manning the camera noticed the suspicious activity and followed Chivondo.
Chivondo was arrested, the items recovered and he was escorted to Central police station.
The prosecution said the accused had on April 3, 2022, been arrested for shoplifting at the same supermarket. At the time, he was taken to the police station but the officers had pity on him and released him.
In mitigation, Chivondo told the court he has a young family and they had slept hungry for three days.
He asked for forgiveness, but the magistrate said the court won't be lenient since he has not been honest before the court and he is a repeat offender.
The magistrate said he will punish the accused so that it serves as a lesson to many.
Edited by A.N
