Two nabbed for stealing magistrate’s phone in court
Two cleaners attached to a private company contracted to offer services at the Milimani Law Courts have been arrested for stealing a Magistrates mobile phone and TV set.
The phone was stolen within the magistrates chambers while the 55inch TV set was stolen from the 3rd floor of the building.
The TV is usually watched by children who are subjects of court proceedings.
Andrew Orina and David Elikana Nyabuto who are employed by a cleaning company namely Jepco Limited were caught on CCTV Camera’s mounted at the expansive court building at the Community Area Nairobi.
The Milimani Court Building which houses the High Court and its various divisions- Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELCR), the Anti-Corruption Court, Commercial Divisons, Family Division, Magistrates Courts and Environment and Lands Court is fitted with surveillance gadgets which are on 24 hours a day.
The building which is the former headquarters of the East African Community was acquired by the Government during the regime of retired President Mwai Kibaki.
It was renovated then handed over to the Judiciary.
In the footage seen by Nairobi News, Nyabuto who’d changed from his official uniform and put on a hat, a T-Shirt and a pair of jeans was keeping vigil as Orina unfitted the 55-Inch TV.
Orina is also caught on CCTV walking very fast down the staircases from the third Floor with the TV while Nyabuto was trailing from behind, ostensibly to raise alarm for his colleague to flee in the event they were tracked down.
After their arrest by court orderlies, they were driven to the Directorate of criminal investigations (DCI) officers for interrogation before criminal charges are filed against them at the Kibera Law Courts.
Orina and Nyabuto were arrested around 10am by court orderlies attached to the law court then driven to DCI for interrogation.
The mobile phone of the Magistrate has since been recovered with the help of telecommunications firm Safaricom Limited.
Orina is seen in the CCTV footage hiding the TV set in a sack then exiting the building through the rear exit.
A security guard at the Milimani law courts Mr David Samia said “nothing goes on in this building unnoticed. The two suspects thought the CCTV cameras are not working.”
Security at the Milimani Law Courts has been beefed up following the establishment of the Judiciary Police Unit (JPU) headed by Mr Lazarus Opicho.
JPU will be guarding all Judiciary buildings countrywide.