Death sentence for mechanic who stole State House car

A  mechanic linked to the theft of a presidential escort car has been handed a death sentence.

Aggrey Odhiambo Achieng was convicted to serve the sentence on Wednesday by Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi, who was the case trial magistrate.

Achieng had been charged alongside four others with robbing Chief Inspector of Police David Machui of the BMW 735 vehicle on August 26 2014 in Utawala, Nairobi.

According to the charge sheet, Achieng and his accomplices were armed with an AK 47 riffle and a pistol.

The charge sheet added that they used excessive force on the complainant as they stole the vehicle valued at Sh1.2 million.

Another count was that on August 27, 2014 at London estate, Nakuru, in the course of stealing the vehicle, they disposed of it knowing it was stolen or was unlawfully obtained from the government.

It took the intervention of security officers from Uganda and Kenya to recover the vehicle in the outskirts of Kampala three days later.

Achieng's accomplices were Nelson Topicho Mulati, Robert Mande Ochan, Andrew Young Otieno and Godfrey Ouma Simon.

Two of the accused people have since died and two others acquitted on Wednesday.

Mulati died five months after he was released on a free bond in 2017 along Kangundo Road in unclear circumstances which police said was from a gun battle.

Ochan, who was a Ugandan and a car dealer, died two years ago in Kampala from what Andayi said was from natural illness. According to the ruling, he had no case to answer.

Otieno and Simon who are also car dealers based at the border town of Busia were acquitted for lack of evidence.