A man has been sentenced to death after being found guilty of robbery with violence and using overpowering drugs to stupefy his victims.
Appearing before Principal Magistrate Amos Makoros at Tamu Law Courts on Friday, June 14, the accused faced two counts: robbery with violence and administering overpowering drugs to commit a felony.
In his judgment, Magistrate Makoros handed down a death sentence for the first count of robbery with violence and a concurrent sentence for the second count of administering overpowering drugs.
The prosecution presented compelling evidence, leading to the court's decision. The complainants' testimonies, supported by eight witnesses, detailed the methods used by the accused to carry out his crimes.
"The court agreed with witnesses noting that all exhibits and testimonies drove to the conclusion that the accused person jointly with others committed the offence," read part of the statement from the Office of Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP).
The offences that were committed in June 2023 culminated in the use of overpowering drugs in a robbery with violence incident.
The ODPP further noted that the offence, which left many people nursing serious injuries, was committed in the Kogutu area in the Muhoroni sub-county in Kisumu County.
Armed with dangerous weapons, the accused violently stole a motor vehicle, a Toyota Hilux valued at 1.8 million.
Similar incidences of robbery with violence have been reported in the past few months.
In March 2024, three men were arraigned at the Bondo Law Courts on a count of robbery with violence.
Among the three, was a police officer and a governor's driver. The trio was arrested after they allegedly beat up and robbed a human rights activist in the Olago area in Sakwa.
In a similar incident, police officers from Busia were arrested in February after violently stealing Ksh2 million from a businessman. They were detained at a police station.
Upon preliminary investigations, the police discovered two of the four suspects were a corporal and a police inspector within Busia County.
