A Mombasa court has sentenced two men to seven years in prison each after finding them guilty of participating in the robbery of a police officer’s AK-47 rifle and 30 rounds of ammunition at Bonje Industrial Park in Jomvu, Mombasa County.
Principal Prosecution Counsel Godfrey Ngigi, appearing for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), led the prosecution that presented evidence linking Pius Oketch and Kellas Wanyonyi to the nighttime raid.
Senior Resident Magistrate Hamlick Muriithi Mwenda ruled that the prosecution had established its case against the two accused persons beyond reasonable doubt.
According to evidence presented in court, a gang attacked Police Constable James Kobia while he was on duty guarding the industrial park alongside private security personnel. The officer was overpowered, and the attackers made away with his AK-47 rifle, which was loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition. A private security guard at the premises was also robbed of his mobile phone during the incident.
Investigators later obtained a breakthrough after one of the stolen phones was answered. Information obtained from the call helped detectives trace connections between several individuals believed to have been involved in the robbery.
The prosecution further told the court that Wanyonyi had recruited a number of casual labourers by allegedly telling them that they had been hired for night work involving the loading of goods at Bonje Industrial Park. The workers were taken to the industrial premises shortly before the robbery occurred, according to the evidence. Police arrested Wanyonyi three days after the incident. Investigators said he subsequently led them to Oketch’s house at Narcol Estate, where the latter was found hiding in the ceiling.
A search of the premises led to the recovery of the stolen AK-47 rifle, its magazine and all 30 rounds of ammunition. The firearm and ammunition had reportedly been hidden inside a sack.
Oketch faced several charges, including conspiracy to commit a felony, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition without a firearm certificate, and possession of government stores. Although the individual sentences imposed on Oketch ranged from two to seven years, the court directed that they run concurrently. His effective sentence was therefore seven years in prison.
Wanyonyi, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit a felony, was similarly handed a seven-year custodial sentence. The two men denied the allegations and claimed they had been framed by police officers. However, Magistrate Mwenda dismissed the claims, finding no evidence that the investigating officers had any personal grudge against the accused persons or had fabricated evidence against them.
The court placed significant weight on the testimony of the 17 prosecution witnesses, finding that their evidence provided a compelling account linking the accused persons to the offences.
Both men were informed that they have 14 days to appeal against their convictions and sentences.
