Highway robber sentenced to 20 years imprisonment
A 28-year-old man who attempted to rob a taxi driver of his car after he was given a lift will serve 20 years in jail for attempted robbery with violence.
John Mucere was handed the penalty by Senior Resident Magistrate Renee Kitangwa of the Kibera Law Courts after he was found guilty as charged and convicted following two years’ trial.
Mucere attempted to rob Martin Njoroge Njeri of his car on March 12, 2020 along the Southern By-pass highway in Langata, Nairobi, while armed with a knife.
Njeri was at Nextgen Mall along Mombasa road chatting with other Uber taxi drivers who he informed that he was heading to Langata to pick a friend at a popular club before proceeding to his house in Kabete.
Mucere, who was near them, requested Njeri to drop him along Langata road and Njeri agreed. But shortly after they passed Ole Sereni Hotel, Mucere drew a knife and ordered Njeri to stop, threatening to stab him with the knife.
A commotion ensued between them before the car staled on the fence of the Nairobi National Park. Njeri was injured on the forehead while Mucere suffered a broken rib.
Police officers recovered the knife at the scene of the accident and called an ambulance that rushed the duo to the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). Mucere was arrested immediately after he was discharged from hospital a week later and charged with attempted robbery.
He had claimed that he wanted Sh2000 from Njeri that he owed him, a debt arising from a transaction where Mucere claims he had sold a phone to Njeri. However Njeri said he had never met the accused before the fateful night. The claims were rejected by the police and the court.