A tout who smashed a matatu side mirror worth Sh400 following a disagreement with the driver and conductor over his Sh100 commission has been sentenced to three weeks in jail if he fails to pay a Sh400 fine.
Andrew Njoroge was handed the penalty by Senior Principal Magistrate Hellen Okwany of the Makadara Law Courts after he pleaded guilty to charges of malicious damage.
Mr Njoroge admitted he willfully and unlawfully damaged the side mirror belonging to Joseph Theuri Mwangi on September 16, 2023.
The court heard Mr Mwangi had stopped at the stage to pick up passengers at around 5 a.m. when the convict demanded Sh100 for picking up passengers there and the complainant declined.
Mr Mwangi had agreed with his colleague Peter Ondari, who was the conductor, that they wouldn’t give money to Njoronge.
The convict took a stone and hit the side mirror breaking it and warned the two that they would never pick passengers at the stage again or else he would deal with them.
Mr Mwangi proceeded to town and later returned to Dandora police station where he reported the matter, and Mr Njoroge was traced and arrested.
In mitigation, Njoroge said he told the court that he had offered to pay for the damage that he caused but Mr Mwangi declined the payment insisting that he should rot in jail.
He told Ms Okwany that his wife had sent Sh1000 to the complainant which he returned. The convict sought leniency claiming he is a family man that depends on him. He has 14 days to appeal the sentence.
Another tout who allegedly assaulted and knocked off four teeth from a Tuktuk operator at the Maziwa stage along Jogoo Road in Nairobi was in March 2023 charged with causing grievous harm contrary to section 234 of the Penal Code.
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Mr George Oduor was charged at the same court with seriously injuring James Inda on November 24, 2021 before going into hiding after he learnt police were looking for him.
He denied the charges and was released on bond pending trial.
