This archive report was first published on 9 October 2019.
A Nairobi court has handed down a 7-year prison sentence to a man found guilty of both unlawful possession and handling of a stolen firearm.
On July 11, 2016, Patrick Kilemi Kiruri was violently robbed of a Glock pistol and seven bullets valued at Ksh. 300,000.
Stephen Karanja Kiarie, the accused, was arrested on May 24, 2017, at his home in Mowlem, Njiru Subcounty, where he was found in possession of the stolen property.
Makadara Chief Magistrate Heston Nyaga found the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced Kiarie to 7 years in prison.
The sentence is concurrent, meaning Kiarie will serve 5 years for handling stolen goods and 2 years for unlawful possession of a firearm.
However, the judge stated that the jail terms would run from June 2017, when Kiarie was arraigned and charged in court.
‘It is not lost on me that Nairobi City has become quite a dangerous place to live in; armed robberies are the order of the day. The accused’s possession of a firearm without a license is a prima facie evidence of his position to commit robberies’ the judge said.
