This archive report was first published on 16 September 2019.
On September 16, 2019, a Kiambu law court witnessed an unusual case where a young man, Joseph Mwangi, was arraigned before Senior Principal Magistrate Ms. Stella Atambo for failing to pay his fare of Sh30 after boarding a public service vehicle.
Mwangi, a Kiambu resident, was charged with failing to pay his fare of Sh30, which was to cover a distance from Ndumberi to Kiambu town.
Upon reading of the charge sheet by the court clerk, the whole court burst into laughter owing to the nature of the offence.
When asked why he failed to pay the required amount by the magistrate, Mwangi explained that he was used to paying an amount of Sh20 as his fare from Ndumberi to Kiambu town daily since he worked within Kiambu's CBD.
He claimed that when the conductor asked for money, he gave Sh20 but the conductor told him that he needed to add Sh10, which Mwangi did not have.
During his narration, there was prolonged laughter at the way he mitigated innocently.
Upon his mitigation, Mwangi was released, but the magistrate cautioned prosecution that such cases should not be brought in court if they were misdemeanors that could be solved on the spot.
The Senior Principal Magistrate told Mwangi, 'Mr. Mwangi, go home with your Sh20, but next time, before boarding a matatu, please make sure you know the amount of fare you're to pay.'
