This archive report was first published on 30 June 2020.
On June 29, 2020, Faith Muthoni, 45, and Purity Wambogo, 42, from Kathangari Village in Embu North, were accused of trespassing into the restricted Frankenstein Farm and picking black-jack without the owner's permission.
According to court records, the two women were found plucking the weeds and bundling them in a heap by one of the farm managers, who then reported the matter to the Manyatta Police Station.
During their hearing before Senior Resident Magistrate Tony Kwambai, the accused pleaded guilty and asked for leniency, stating that they only picked the black-jack to feed their rabbits.
The court presented the bale of black-jack as evidence, which was found in the possession of the accused.
Magistrate Kwambai ruled that the two women serve out a 2-months non-custodial sentence, warning them to stay out of trouble lest they be forced to serve their sentences in jail.
This ruling has sparked comparisons to a 2014 High Court ruling in Siaya County, where two men were sentenced to six years imprisonment for stealing four chickens.
