BY JAMES MUNYEKI
A matatu driver got a shock of his life after he was handed ten years in prison by a Nyahururu court for driving while drunk.
Simon Githaiga Nguku did not believe his eyes after Nyahururu senior principal magistrate Dennis Mikoyan made the ruling today.
Githaiga had been arrested while driving a Nissan matatu along Nyahururu-Nakuru road with passangers on board.
The prosecution said that the driver had put the lives of the 14 passengers on board at risk.
It called for harsh action to be taken against the driver bearing in mind that it was the Christmas season when road accidents are normally on the rise.
In mitigation, Githaiga pleaded with the court for forgiveness saying that he was a first offender of traffic rules.
But the magistrate said that the driver deserved a harsh punishment for it to be a lesson for him and other drives who drive under the influence of alcohol.
Mikoyan said that traffic rules had to be adhered to at all times and the lives of innocent passengers should be taken to risk because of drunkenness.
Githaiga has 14 days to appeal.
