Family of man killed by Inspekta Mwala angered by ‘light sentence’

 Inspekta Mwala.

The family of a man killed by actor Davis Mwabili alias Inspekta Mwala has expressed displeasure at the light sentence he received.

Mwala, who killed 36-year-old Ismael Mangi by hitting him with his vehicle on August 26 was sentenced to a year in jail with the option of paying a Sh30,000 fine.

The actor knocked down the Rhino Cement Company plant operator along the Kaloleni-Mazeras highway and was charged with causing death through dangerous driving.

However, according to the family, the actor’s sentence is too light.  Speaking to a local publication, the family pointed out that the Sh30,000 fine is less than the Sh40,000 cash bail Mwala was asked to pay soon after knocking down the victim.

Displeasure with the police

Mangi’s family also expressed disappointment with how the Rabai Police Station handled the case, saying that a more serious charge should have been levelled instead of the ‘dangerous driving’ offence recorded in the Occurrence Book (OB).

The family claimed that the police officers handling the case had been compromised leading to dropping of some charges.  Initially, there were reports that the actor was drunk at the time of the accident but according to the police, they could not prove it.

The family also noted that Mwala was taken to court 10 days after the incident. Earlier, Rabai Police Sub-county Commander David Maina had told Nation that the actor would be arraigned once the post-mortem was done, only for it to later emerge that the post-mortem was done the day after the incident.

Pleading leniency

Appearing before the Mariakani Senior Resident Magistrate Nelly Adalo on 19 September, Mwala pleaded for leniency, saying he plans to reach out to the family to pass on his personal condolences.

“I’ve never even hit a dog. It was an accident, and I had no intention of causing it. I pray for leniency,” he said.