This archive report was first published on 9 July 2021.
On July 9, 2021, a bizarre incident unfolded at the Kibera Law court in Nairobi, Kenya.
A man accused of mobile phone theft, Fadhili William, stunned the court with his unusual reason for possessing marijuana. He claimed he wanted to take it to his deceased friend at Langata cemetery.
William, a resident of Mathare in Nairobi, was arraigned in court together with his accomplice, Kennedy Omondi. The two are accused of being behind a spate of mobile phone thefts in the Ngara area, where they would snatch phones and flee on a motorcycle.
On the day of their arrest, bodaboda riders who were on their trail cornered them in Ngara and handed them over to officers at Parklands police station. Omondi was riding the motorbike while William was his pillion passenger.
During the citizen's arrest, William dropped a stolen mobile phone and attempted to escape on foot but was caught. At the police post, officers found each of them with a consignment of marijuana during a search.
In court, Omondi pleaded not guilty to being in possession of 20 rolls of marijuana, while Fadhili admitted to charges of possessing a suspected stolen phone and 30 rolls of cannabis worth Sh1,500.
The court directed that Fadhili undergoes a mental assessment and return to court on July 15 when his psychiatrist report will be presented. Omondi was freed on a Sh50,000 bond with a cash bail of a similar amount.
