A standard eight pupil was on Wednesday arraigned before a Kajiado Court and charged with stealing a vehicle at Milimani estate in Kitengela on Monday.
Appearing before Kajiado Magistrate, Becky Cheloti, the court heard that the accused who is an orphan jointly with others not before court, stole the vehicle a Toyota Premio registration number KCL 532B valued at Sh 1.6 million from Jackline Gitonga on June 17,2019 at her residence.
The 14 year old who is due to sit his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education Exams this year was also charged with
stealing Sh.31, 000 which was inside the vehicle.
According to the police statement and CCTV footage from Gitonga’s home, on Monday afternoon the boy walked toward the gate of the complainant while speaking on phone before getting into the car and driving it away.
The CCTV camera footage at Kitengela Mall further shows the boy driving in the car and parking it at the basement parking overnight.
On Tuesday afternoon, the boy is seen returning to the mall to pick the car only for him to be arrested by the watchmen as he tries to sign in at the gate to gain access to the basement parking lot to retrieve the car.
In a candid interview with KNA, the teen says that he had been directed to pick the car by one of his adult friends
identified only as Ochieng.
“While picking the car at first, I knew that it belonged to Ochieng since it is him who was giving me directions to where the car was parked over the phone and gave me all the instructions on where to take it on that Monday afternoon, as well as the Tuesday afternoon. He wanted me to take the car to his home,” he said.
His elder, sister who sought anonymity said the boy was a close friend of Ochieng as they live in the same neighborhood but he has never thought that Ochieng could lure him to undertake such a risky venture.
“At times, he comes home and tells us that he has been with Ochieng all day long. Actually Ochieng among many other school going children in the neighborhood, taught him how to drive a car at a charge of Sh.50 but we never knew that he was training them to use them to steal other people’s vehicles,” she told KNA outside the court precincts.
Furthermore, the sister who takes care of the boy read malice into the matter questioning why the police have not
arrested Ochieng up to the time of going to press yet he is the main suspect and the boy has incriminated him as having directed all his moves over the phone.
“How possible is it for a 14 year old to have the courage to steal someone’s vehicle. There must be a hand of an adult and my brother told the police everything and actually we visited the home of Ochieng with the police but the lights were off at their home, therefore the police opted to go back to the station, saying that they could not find him,” she posed.
The sister called on the County Police bosses to intervene and ensure that the main suspect, Ochieng is arrested as well.
The accused denied the charge and was released on a Sh. 100,000 cash bail or a bond of Sh. 200,000.The case will be mentioned on July 3, 2019 and hearing will commence on September 12, 2019.
By Rop Janet/ Albert Lemomo
