A 37-year-old man has been sentenced to six months in prison or an alternative fine of Sh40,000 after pleading guilty to stealing logs from Kakuzi Forest in Murang’a County.
Peter Ndung’u appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Dr Sheila Nyaga at the Kenol Law Courts following his arrest on May 22, 2026.
During the hearing, prosecution witness Joseph Kirii told the court that he spotted the accused carrying logs suspected to have been cut from Kakuzi Forest to his home on two separate occasions.
Kirii said the incidents raised suspicion, prompting him to alert other village elders. Together, they visited the accused’s home where they allegedly found him cutting the logs into smaller pieces of firewood.
The matter was subsequently reported to Kakuzi PLC, which dispatched a representative to verify the claims before reporting the case to Kenol Police Station.
Police officers later visited the suspect’s home and documented the recovered logs by taking six photographs, which were produced in court as exhibits.
Ndung’u pleaded guilty to and in mitigation, pleaded for leniency, telling the court that he intended to sell the firewood to support his family financially.
The court heard that the accused was a first-time offender with no previous criminal record and he was convicted on his own plea of guilt.
Senior Resident Magistrate Dr Sheila Nyaga sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment or in default pay a fine of Sh40,000.
By Sydney Gateru
