The court said the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.A court sitting in Ngong has sentenced three men to life imprisonment after finding them guilty of violent robbery.
The conviction followed what the court described as a watertight case by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), with prosecutor Filah Martins marshalling evidence that left no room for doubt.
Senior Resident Magistrate Hellen Mosomi ruled that the prosecution had proved all elements of robbery with violence beyond a reasonable doubt and sentenced the three to life imprisonment.
The three—Brian Kutitila Wanyama, Japhnae Wanyonyi Mukalama, and Thomas Wakoli Malava—were found guilty of robbery with violence, a capital offence under Kenyan law.
The court heard that on December 18, 2021, at Kibiku in Kajiado West, the men violently robbed Andrew Muthure Wairia of a Huawei Y9 phone worth Sh24,990, a memory card valued at Sh3,995, and a pair of Reebok shoes worth Sh4,000.
They also transferred Sh3,970 from the victim’s account to a number registered in Wanyama’s name.
Before fleeing, they assaulted Wairia, leaving him injured.
Wanyama faced an additional charge of wilfully resisting arrest on December 29, 2021, in Bulbul, Kajiado North, for which he received a further two-year jail term.
The DPP also secured a second conviction against Malava in a separate robbery case.
On September 5, 2021, at Oloolua in Kajiado North, Malava and accomplices violently robbed Patrick Nyaga Kariuki of property worth Sh227,000, including a smart TV valued at Sh95,000, a Honda concrete vibrator worth Sh36,000, mobile phones worth Sh44,000, and Sh50,000 in cash.
The victim was also assaulted during the attack.
For this second offence, Malava received another life sentence, underscoring the gravity of his criminal conduct.
Meanwhile, a DPP plea bargain deal has yielded a 30-year sentence for a Murang’a man who was convicted of killing his father.
The High Court in Murang’a sentenced Michael Muchiri Mwangi to 30 years in prison after he admitted to killing his father, James Mwangi Mburu, in a brutal attack that shocked Muchungucha village in Kiharu constituency.
Lady Justice Githua delivered the sentence following a plea bargain agreement brokered between the accused and the DPP.
The court heard that on September 10, 2020, Muchiri’s mother, while preparing supper at around 7.30pm, heard a loud bang outside their home.
On rushing out, she saw flames in the family’s banana plantation and found her husband lying on the ground engulfed in fire.
Her son stood nearby but did not respond when she questioned him.
Police investigations revealed that Muchiri had struck his father on the head, doused him with petrol, and set him ablaze.
The victim sustained burns covering more than 60 per cent of his body.
Represented in court by Principal Prosecution Counsel Caroline Muriu, the DPP emphasised the brutality of the crime and urged a deterrent sentence.
The initial murder charge was reduced to manslaughter through the plea bargain arrangement.
Justice Githua concurred, terming the act particularly heinous and sentencing Muchiri to 30 years’ imprisonment.
She underscored the court’s commitment to justice while acknowledging the DPP’s role in securing accountability through the plea bargain process.
