High Court Sets Aside Death Sentenced Handed to Two People Convicted of Violently Robbing President Uhuru Kin

The High Court has set aside a lower court's ruling that handed a death sentence to two people who were convicted of robbery with violence.

In his ruling on Friday, Justice Ngenye Macharia withdrew the sentence slapped on Brian Ayusi and Paul Bulinda after an accomplice testified against them.

The two, who stole from President Kenyatta’s cousin Ngengi Mwigai in 2013, will now serve an 18-year jail term.

Justice Macharia upheld the lower court's decision to convict the two but set aside the death sentence.

“I have substituted it (death sentence) with 18 years imprisonment from the time they were arrested,” Macharia said. 

The two were found guilty of three counts of robbery with violence at Ngegi Muigai’s home.

The judge convicted them based on the testimony of their co-accused, who said Bulinda sold her a stolen phone, which led the police to her.

The charge sheet read that the two, while armed with crude weapons, stormed Muigai’s house in Kyuna Estate, Spring Valley on December 4th, 2013 and tied up the security guard.

They entered the house and tied up Muigai, his wife and son in the master bedroom and ransacked the entire house for four hours.

The two took all valuables before forcing Muigai's son to drop them off at a location in Kawangware.

“The appellants were in the house for approximately four hours during which there was a blackout,” the judge said.

“They asked Muigai’s son to drive them and drop them where they wanted to go so they would not hurt them. And that is exactly what happened.”

“In fact, these boys were cordial to the victims, no one was hurt. They told their victims to be calm since all they needed was money. There was violence however when they said they would shoot the son ‘who was very rude’,” the judge said.