Two men have been sentenced to one year in prison each after pleading guilty to stealing oranges worth Sh8,000 from a farm in Kiambicho area of Murang’a County.
Senior Resident Magistrate Grace Waithira convicted Derrick Waswala and Peter Njuguna Mwaura after they admitted to stealing two sacks of oranges weighing about 80 kilograms each from the farm of Fredrick Mwangi on May 30, 2026, at about 8.am.
The court heard that Mwangi was alerted by a neighbour who had spotted the two harvesting oranges from his farm.
He rushed to the scene and found the suspects picking the fruits before reporting the incident to Kiambicho Forest officers, who arrested the duo and later handed them over to officers at Kajoya Police Post.
The prosecution told the court that the stolen oranges were valued at Sh. 8,000.
In his testimony, the complainant opposed any plea for leniency, saying the theft had caused him financial loss.
He further told the court that Waswala had previously stolen from him and that both accused had worked as casual labourers on his farm for nearly two years.
In mitigation, Mwaura pleaded for forgiveness and promised not to repeat the offence while Waswala also asked for leniency, saying he had two children who depended on him.
The court sentenced the two to one-year imprisonment each without the option of a fine and informed them of their right to appeal within 14 days if dissatisfied with the sentence.
By Bernard Munyao and Yvonne Wanja
