Three suspects in the dock at the Makadara law courts. Photo/Gabriel Somba
By Gabriel Somba
Three men who allegedly carried out multiple robberies in the Soweto area, Embakasi East in Nairobi, before they were nabbed by police officers and members of the public, are facing three counts of robbery with violence charges.
They are Nelson Otieno Anyona alias Nature, Martin Joshua Owiti alias Mart, and Meshach Makau Mutemi alias Maka, who allegedly carried out violent robbery in the Muthaiga area of Embakasi East and the Kwa Maria area in Embakasi Central.
The trio allegedly executed the robberies reported to police between September 28 and October 1 when they were caught red-handed by the police in one of the alleged robbery incidents.
They are charged under section 296 (2) of the Penal Code, which provides a death penalty only for offenders found guilty of such offences.
Police recovered the toy gun used in the robberies from Mutemi’s house on October 2, during a search after he was mentioned by Anyona and Owiti, who had been apprehended after they were found in the act.
They were armed with crude weapons, including a panga and a knife, during the arrest.
They had robbed Jackline Khamati of a mobile phone worthSh30,0000 and cash of Sh1000.
They are also accused of violently robbing Daniel Andere of Sh80, a backpack and a National Identity Card at Thwambu in Embakasi East.
Anyona and Owiti are separately charged with robbing Evans Wanyoike of his mobile phone worth Sh19,000 and Sh2,200 at the Kwa Maria stage in Muthaiga area of Soweto, Embakasi East on September 28.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) says the suspects were armed with a toy pistol, a panga and a knife and used actual violence on the victims during the alleged robberies.
Mutemi is separately charged with handling stolen goods contrary to section 322 (1) (2) of the Penal Code after he was allegedly found with the bag stolen from Andere during a search at his house in Soweto after his arrest.
“On October 2, 2025, at Soweto-Gitau area in Embakasi East in Nairobi, otherwise in the course of stealing, dishonestly received or retained a blackbackpackg knowing or having reasons to believe it to be stolen goods,” the charge sheet reads.
Mutemi was also charged with possession of an imitation of a firearm contrary to section 34 (1) of the Firearms Act after he was allegedly found with the toy pistol used to threaten victims during the robberies. The toy gun was recovered during the search at the suspect’s house.
The suspects denied all the charges before Chief Magistrate Beatrice Kimemia of the Makadara Law Courts.
Ms Kimemia remanded them in custody and ordered their social inquiry report to help her assess their suitability for bail and bond terms.
Ms Khamati was headed to work at Gikomba at dawn when she met a group of six men physically known to her who stopped her.
One of them showed her a panga and started sharpening it by the roadside, while another man pointed a gun at her.
Within no time, she was surrounded by the armed men and ordered to surrender, failure to which she would be shot.
She sustained minor injuries on the head and returned home after the robbery.
The complainant later reported the matter to the Soweto police station and was issued with a P3 form.
While leaving the police station, with her husband and a Nyumba Kumi official, they saw two of the men who had robbed her the previous night and raised an alarm.
Other victims who were standing helplessly nearby after being robbed a few moments earlier, joined her and police officers, with the help of the members of the public, apprehended the two, Owiti and Anyona.
Wanyoike, who had reported a robbery at the station on September 28, was called, and he identified the two suspects as among those who robbed him.
The case will be mentioned on October 22, when the court will receive the social inquiry report from the Department of Probation and Aftercare Services.
