Sonko pays Sh100,000 fine for man jailed for shoplifting in supermarket » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 13 – Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has paid a Sh100,00 fine for a man who was jailed for shoplifting in a supermarket.

Sonko paid the fine for Alvin Linus Chivondo who had been sentenced after he pleaded guilty to stealing cooking oil.

The former Nairobi Governor also promised Chivondo a monthly stock of food in addition to a job.

During the sentencing, the prosecution counsel submitted that the suspect visited Naivas Development House shopping hall posing like a customer on April 10, 2022.

 The 22-year-old is said to have proceeded to pick items from the shelves and placing them in a shopping basket.

According to the report, Chivondo picked 5kg packet of rice, 1/2kg honey, 1/2kg tea leaves, 5 litres of cooking oil and 2kg sugar before he was intercepted at the exit by the staff manning the camera room.

He was later arrested and the said items recovered.

While pleading for a lighter sentence the convict explained to the court that he was pushed to steal after his family went for three consecutive days without food.

He further stated that he had lost his hawking job a few months back pointing out that his efforts to find a new job was unsuccessful. But the court could not hear any of it.

The court ruled that so far it has pardoned four offenders accused of shoplifting from the same shopping hall.

“From yesterday this court has forgiven four offenders from the same shopping hall. Sentence is supposed to serve a deterrence effect.  To my opinion potential criminals have found a leeway to steal from the hall. I am therefore going to sentence the convicted person heavily to serve as an example to the rest. I will therefore fine the accused Sh 100,000 in default to serve one year in prison, “ruled the court.