Court hears how 44-year-old man robbed M-PESA agents, shops

Harun Ndirangu when he appeared before Nakuru Senior Resident Magistrate Court on February 28,2019

NAKURU, KENYA: A 44-year-old man charged with robbery with violence will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

This is after a court in Nakuru found him guilty of robbing and stealing from M-PESA and shops in Nakuru at gunpoint.

Harun Ndirangu faced three charges of robbery with violence.

Particulars of the first count are that on September 2, 2017 at Karunga area of Nakuru North Sub-County jointly with others not before court while armed with dangerous weapons namely a rifle, Somali sword and a knife robbed Samuel Waweru Githinji of Sh20, 000.

Particulars of the second and third count indicated that he on the said date robbed Mbugua Njoroge of Sh32, 000.

He also faced another charge of stealing Sh50, 000 from an M-PESA agent shop.

Ndirangu according to the charge sheet would use physical violence at the time of robbery.

A total of ten witnesses testified in the case.

Waweru, a businessperson testified that he owned a shop. In his evidence informed the court that on the fateful day, at around 7:10PM he was with his wife when two men entered into the shop and ordered them to lie on the floor.

It was Waweru’s testimony that the assailant ordered him and his wife to lie down after they were ambushed at their shop.

“He emptied my shop cashier within 15 minutes. They were two. The accused was the one who carried the AK 47 gun,” he testified.

Njoroge, a supermarket owner also testified in the case. He informed the court that the robber pulled out a gun and ordered him to the ground.

He said Ndirangu and another raided the supermarket at around 6:55AM and demanded money.

The M-Pesa attendant, Jane Mbuthia said that she refused to open the shop and instead went to the back door to escape the danger.

“Two men entered the shop but I managed to escape through the back door. I came to realize that I was Sh50, 000 less later. I reported the matter to the police,” she testified.

In the last count, the accused is said to have shot a passerby on his face with his AK 47 riffle thereby causing grievous harm to him.

The victim Peter Gitau also testified in court.

The investigating officer said that he recovered weapons used during the incidences.

“The accused vehicle was searched and the police recovered a Ceska pistol and pistol magazines. A further search led to the recovery of the AK 47 riffle, several rounds of ammunition and cartridges,” he said.

The items were sent to a ballistic officer who produced them as evidence during the trial.

In his defence, the accused denied committing the offences. He said that he was in the process of moving from his house and relocating to another when police arrested him.

Nakuru Senior Resident Magistrate Yvonne Khatambi in a judgement dated February 20, 2019 said the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The court had however asked for a pre-sentence report before sentencing.

The probation report filed in court indicated that the man is unsuitable for probation placement.

“The offender is unsuitable for probation placement. The offender is more suitable to serve a custodial sentence as he is rehabilitated to become an upright man in the society,” recommended the probation report.

The court in its sentence ruling delivered on Monday convicted him to serve life imprisonment in jail.

The court however granted him two weeks to appeal.