A Kabarnet court has convicted a bandit, Lotubet Eriodo in possession of an AK47 riffle to 10 years imprisonment after being found guilty.
Eriodo appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Edwin Mulochi and was charged that on June 23, 2022, at Chepilat village in Tiaty East Sub County within Baringo County was found in illegal possession of an illegal firearm.
Additionally, the convict faced an alternative count of being in possession of 28 rounds of 7.62mmX39 ammunition but denied the two counts as read out to him.
The accused was convicted of the offence of being in possession of a firearm contrary to Section 4(1) as read with Section 4(3) (b) of the FireArms Act Cap 114 LOK, an offence that fetches a life sentence on conviction.
After receiving a tip that he was involved in many of the violent cross-border stock theft attacks in the Tiaty East area, he was apprehended by police officials stationed at Loruk police station.
Three witnesses were called by the prosecution attorney who gave testimony against the accused, and the magistrate deemed their testimony to be conclusive.
Eriodo led the police to a bush away from Chepilat centre where he had hidden the gun, the court was informed, and there they discovered him together with three spent cartridges and 25 rounds of ammunition.
The accused asked the court to take into consideration his time in detention as a mitigating factor because he was caring for his ailing father at home during that time.
In his ruling, the magistrate ordered the convict to serve 10 years in prison with the sentence running from the day of his arrest.
“I have considered the facts that the accused has been in custody since June 27, 2022, I also note from the record that he is a first offender, however this offence fetches a life sentence on convicts,” the ruling read.
He ordered the firearm and the 26 rounds of ammunition to be handed over to Kabarnet Police station for onward transmission to Central Firearms Bureau in Nairobi for disposal.
