Nairobi — Six people have been convicted over a series of violent robberies linked to the 2015 killing of former Kabete Member of Parliament George Muchai.
In a judgment delivered at the Milimani Law Courts, trial magistrate Lukas Onyina ruled that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to connect several of the accused to multiple robbery with violence incidents, including the attack in which the legislator was shot dead.
The court found the first, second, third and fourth accused persons guilty on several counts of robbery with violence after concluding that the prosecution had proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
In the ruling, the magistrate said witness testimonies and other evidence presented during the trial consistently pointed to the involvement of the accused persons in the robberies.
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According to the court, the first accused person was identified by witnesses as the suspect who carried a large firearm during the attacks. The magistrate noted that victims from the different robbery incidents gave similar accounts, stating that the crimes were carried out by four men who were previously unknown to them.
The court observed that the testimonies given by the victims were consistent on key details, including the number of attackers and the manner in which the robberies were executed, strengthening the prosecution's case.
Several of the accused persons were also convicted on additional counts tied to other robbery incidents connected to the case.
However, the court acquitted one of the accused after finding that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence linking the individual to the crimes.
In his ruling, the magistrate said the seventh accused had effectively cleared himself through his own testimony, adding that the prosecution had not placed him at the scene of the robberies. The court also noted that witnesses had not reported seeing any woman among the attackers.
As a result, the accused person was acquitted and ordered to be released.
The court further stated that although identification evidence formed a key part of the case, it was supported by additional material linking several of the suspects to the robberies.
The case stems from a 2015 attack in Nairobi in which Muchai was fatally shot alongside members of his security team during a robbery.
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Sentencing for the six convicted individuals will be scheduled at a later date.
