The owner of a vehicle caught in a viral video showing students dangerously hanging out of its windows on the busy Thika Road has been charged in court.
Kevin Ngacha Mwangi was arraigned before a Nairobi court last Friday, where he pleaded guilty to the charge of failing to maintain his vehicle properly.
According to the charges, on August 29, 2024, at approximately 15:30 hours along Thika Road in Nairobi, Ngacha, as the driver of the motor vehicle with registration number KDG 056B—a Toyota Hiace—operated the vehicle on a public road in a poorly maintained condition that posed a danger to other road users.
However, Ngacha clarified to the court that he was not the driver of the vehicle at the time of the incident but rather the owner.
Following his plea, Magistrate Martha Nanzushi fined Ngacha Sh30,000 for the offense. However, she immediately recalled the file, highlighting that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) should have charged him with a more appropriate offense given the public outcry caused by the viral video.
Magistrate Nanzushi directed the prosecution to review the charge sheet and to charge the actual driver of the vehicle accordingly.
