Two men charged for stealing phones from Machakos Level 5 Hospital patients

Two suspected thieves were on Thursday arraigned at the Machakos Law Courts and charged with stealing mobile phones from patients at the Machakos Level V Hospital.

The duo, Peter Mutavi Mutua and Francis Musembi Mumo, pleaded not guilty to the charges during their arraignment before Senior Principal Magistrate James Ombura.

The suspects were arrested on Wednesday after CCTV surveillance captured Mutua entering the facility at 8am and leaving about an hour later after stealing an Infinix phone valued at Ksh.25,000 from Patricia Kasyoka, a patient seeking services at the hospital’s radiology department.

After being interrogated, Mutua led authorities to Mumo who was arrested for being in possession of the stolen Infinix phone.

Mutua was also charged with possessing another phone valued at Ksh.12,000 which he allegedly stole from one Magdalene Mueni at the same hospital.

The pair is currently being remanded at Machakos GK Prison pending a court appearance on Friday, where they will find out whether they qualify for bond or bail.

According to the hospital's management, cases of phone theft have been on the rise at the facility, largely due to the digitization of most processes at the facility.

As payments and other transactions are increasingly conducted via mobile phones, thieves have begun targeting patients who carry the devices.