Peter Mwasi Kamami, the livestock merchant who was robbed by the four men who were sentenced to life imprisonment by a Kyuso court in Kitui County on Wednesday /MUSEMBI NZENGUFour men were on Wednesday sentenced to life imprisonment following their conviction for violently robbing a livestock trader of Sh900,000 in Kyuso, Kitui County.
Aron Macharia, Ben Batha,
Amos Mutuku and Alex Kamwaki were convicted following a
two-year trial in which the prosecution was found to have proved the case
beyond reasonable doubt.
Kyuso senior principal magistrate Paul Mayova found the four guilty of robbery with violence.
The charge showed that on February
21, 2024, at about 4 pm in Kamuwongo town within Kyuso subcounty, the four, while armed with dangerous weapons, including crowbars and a toy
pistol, robbed businessman Peter Mwasi Kamami of Sh900,000 and a black bag
valued at Sh1,500.
The accused persons had pleaded not guilty
to the charge.
However, Magistrate
Mayova, in his judgment, said the prosecution had presented compelling evidence, corroborated by
witnesses, which discredited the accused persons' alibis and defences.
The court heard that on the material
day, the four men trailed Kamami after he withdrew Sh900,000 from the Equity
Bank branch in Mwingi and headed home in Itivanzou on his motorcycle.
The suspects, who were dressed in police attire, caught up with Kamami near Kamuwongo after he slowed down to answer a phone call.
They allegedly rammed him from behind
using a hired vehicle, causing him to fall to the ground. He had a fracture in one of his fingers, and his nose and face were bruised.
The court heard that the four men then confronted Kamami and stole the black bag that contained the cash.
Mayova said the complainant was able to identify the attackers because they were not wearing masks or hoods.
The robbers reportedly fled in their vehicle after spotting an approaching matatu.
The matatu driver and passengers
helped the injured Kamami to Kamuwongo police post, where he reported the
incident.
The suspects attempted to escape by abandoning their vehicle in the Ngungani area
near Kiambere Dam. They then sought a lift from a lorry.
But their escape was cut short when officers from Kiambere police station, who had mounted a roadblock, intercepted and arrested them.
Only Sh340,000 of the stolen
Sh900,000 was recovered at the time of their arrest, the court heard. The
amount was presented in court as an exhibit.
The magistrate said evidence from
the vehicle's tracking system, together with Safaricom phone-tracking data,
further strengthened the prosecution's case and linked the accused persons to
the robbery.
Having found the four guilty, the court sentenced each of them to life imprisonment.
Nayova informed them of their right to appeal against both the conviction and sentence within 14 days.
