Man fined for knocking down, killing pupil
A motorist who knocked and killed a pupil at a Zebra crossing point near the Langata Barracks in Nairobi on March 26, 2019, has walked to freedom after paying an Sh70,000 fine at the Kibera Law Courts.
Rodgers Omondi Ochomo paid Sh50,000 as a fine for killing the juvenile aged seven years, and a further Sh20,000 for causing grievous harm to the deceased’s counterpart who sustained serious injuries.
Ochomo had been charged with causing the death of the juvenile aged by dangerous driving.
He was also facing an additional charge of causing the injuries on the second victim who survived the accident.
Ochomo was handed the penalties by senior principal magistrate Philip Mutua with the option of a one-year jail term in the first count of causing death and six months jail term for injuring the survivor.
The police officers who investigated the accident were irked by the penalties they felt were lenient and want an appeal to be filed.
Ochomo was out on a cash bail of Sh100,000 during the trial and converted part of it into the fine after the penalties were read out to him.
On the day he killed the pupil, other motorists had stopped to allow the school children to cross at the designated crossing zone but Ochomo did not.
A Kenya Wildlife Service driver Benson Mugambi gave him a hand signal to stop but he ignored it and went on to hit the two pupils.
Ochomo had at first admitted the charges, changed plea and denied the charges before he finally admitted them again.
In mitigation, he had told the court that he is now jobless after the case, is remorseful and has dependants.