A robbery with violence convict on Wednesday amazed Nakuru High Court after pleading to be allowed to preach for five minutes within the courtroom.
The 48-year-old Muhoro Thuita who had been sentenced to death pleaded with Justice Joel Ngugi to minister inside the courtroom noting that spending 18 years in prison.
According to the Standard, Thuita told Justice Ngungi: "I remember very well I was sentenced to death, I left this court and met God and realized I had to apologise; when this hit me I realized needed God," which saw the courtroom burst in laughter.
[caption caption="Muhoro Thuita addresses Nakuru High Court"]
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Thuita, who was charged alongside Simon Githu Mbugua (57), were served a mandatory death sentence after being found guilty of robbing Paul Okoth Ochieng, a driver, of his motor vehicle and Ksh300,000 at gunpoint.
In his address to the court, Thuita quoted the Bible in Proverbs 28:13 states: "Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy."
Testifying of his remorse and reform, the convict told the court that he had made attempts severally while in prison to meet the complainant to ask for forgiveness.
"I tried reaching the complainant and I was told he had passed on, he died without meeting us, I wanted to meet him and seek forgiveness," he indicated.
The death row convict was pleading during the hearing of a re-sentence appeal after a previous appeal failed.
The court had earlier on expressed satisfaction with the evidence presented noting that the convicts engaged the police in a shootout before they were arrested in possession of a pistol and homemade gun.
[caption caption="A gunned down criminal with a homemade gun"]
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In their defence, however, the two argued that given the circumstances described by the victim, it would be impossible for Okoth to positively identify them as the perpetrators.
"We are satisfied that the prosecution proved its case against the appellants beyond a reasonable doubt and the appellants were properly convicted. We uphold the conviction and sentence imposed on the appellants," Judge Luka Kimaru and Martha Koome had upheld the trial court ruling in February 2007, a decision that they want the High Court to reconsider.
