Two men sentenced to death for violent robbery in Wajir

According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) Senior Principal Magistrate Eric Malesi convicted Abdiaziz Ali, alias "Odi", and Abdiwahab Mohamed, alias "Steam Boy", after finding that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The two were charged with robbery with violence, while Abdiaziz Ali also faced an alternative charge of handling stolen property.

The prosecution, led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Robert Nyoro, presented three witnesses and several exhibits in support of its case. Magistrate Malesi ruled that the evidence and testimonies presented were sufficient to warrant the conviction and sentencing of the accused.

The court heard that on the night of November 13, 2025, the complainant, identified as Nesiah Thuranira, was riding his motorcycle along Baraza Park Road in Wajir Township when two men approached him, posing as passengers.

Moments later, about five armed men, wielding knives, emerged from a nearby corridor, assaulted him, threatened to kill him, and robbed him of his mobile phone valued at Ksh.30,000.

The attackers then forced the complainant to an M-Pesa shop, where they demanded that he reveal his M-Pesa PIN to facilitate withdrawal of money from his mobile wallet. They successfully withdrew Ksh. 15,000 before attempting to withdraw an additional Ksh.10,000.

However, the complainant managed to alert the shop attendant, Josephat Kimathi, who unfortunately had already handed over the cash and an extra ksh 5000 to another number.

Investigations revealed that the mobile number used in the fraudulent transaction had been registered using the identity card details of the first accused's sister without her consent. The complainant's stolen phone was later recovered from the home of the first accused's mother.

The accused persons did not call any witnesses in their defence. Following their conviction, the court sentenced both men to death and granted them 14 days to file an appeal if dissatisfied with its decision.