KENYA: Four sentenced to death for theft of cash and phones

By NATION CORRESPONDENT

A Siaya court has sentenced four people to death for robbery with violence in two separate cases.

In the first case, Kenneth Owino Omollo, David Otieno Juma and Dison Omondi Otieno were accused of robbing Mrs Dorcas Ochieng’ of a mobile phone worth Sh2,000 and Sh7,000 in cash on October 22, 2011.

Omollo was sentenced to death but Mr Juma and Mr Otieno were acquitted for lack of evidence.

The accused committed the offence jointly with others not in court at Karapul Sub-location in Siaya District while armed with pangas and threatened the complainant.

In her evidence, Mrs Ochieng’ told the court that she was sleeping in her house together with her husband and their five-year-old child when the gang struck.

“I heard a bang outside the house and immediately saw someone enter my house,” she recalled.

An attacker attempted to strangle her and demanded that she hands over her mobile phone and the money, and only released her once she complied.

In the second case, Aggrey Otieno, Bernard Ouma and Patrick Omondi were sentenced to death for violently robbing Kenneth Ouma of a Nokia phone valued at Sh5,500, Sh6,000 in cash and a torch worth Sh200.

They committed the offence at Ulamba on August 2, 2011.

The three cut Mr Ouma on the jaw, leaving him bleeding profusely as they fled the scene.

He was rushed to the Siaya District Hospital for treatment by neighbours who responded to his distress call.

The three pleaded for leniency, with Otieno saying he had children who solely depended on him after the death of his wife, while Ouma said he was barely 19 years old and had dependants.

But Siaya Senior Principal Magistrate Rachel Ng’etich said the convicts deserved mandatory sentences as provided for by the law.

Source: Daily Nation (21/12/2012): http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Four-sentenced-to-death-for-theft-of-cash-and-phones/-/1056/1648784/-/3fnd8a/-/index.html