DCI lauds life imprisonment for robbery with violence criminals

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has welcomed the life sentence handed down on two suspects, who were caught on camera attacking a man at gunpoint along Rose Avenue in Kilimani back in 2020.

In her judgment, Senior Resident Magistrate Hon Zainabu Abdul, sitting in the Chief Magistrate’s Court at the Milimani Law courts noted that although the firearm used by the second accused has not been recovered, it is still out there being used to commit similar atrocities on innocent Kenyans.

She added that despite the accused persons being first-time offenders, they were not remorseful for their actions after causing untold mental anguish to the victim.

Judge Zainabu added that such cases where criminals were using boda boda’s as getaway means we’re on the rise, hence the need to deter such acts by pronouncing the life sentence for the duo.

The incident which attracted national attention after the incident was captured live on CCTV cameras in adjacent buildings and shared widely on social media.

Paul Sewe Momanyi was accosted outside Almond Court as he headed to work at around 7 am, by two men who had leaped from a motorbike.

Detectives based at DCI Kilimani swung into action on a manhunt for the thugs.

“The sleuths led by the then Kilimani crime buster Fatuma Hadi mounted a stealth intelligence-led operation, that took them to the densely populated areas of Gatina, Kanungaka, and Kawangware where they laid an ambush for the suspects for three days and later widened their dragnet to Pangani where the two suspects were arrested after a week,” DCI said.

The gangsters were later identified as Humphrey Minyatta, (first accused) who placed a knife on his throat as his accomplice Timothy Muzami (second accused) pointed a firearm on his forehead and snatched a bag that he was carrying.

Minyatta, according to DCI, ransacked Momanyi’s pockets and took his mobile phone, before they both jumped on the waiting motorbike leaving Momanyi heavily shaken after the 45 seconds ordeal.

However, the detectives caught up with the assailants who took the detectives to his house where they discovered the knife that the suspect had brandished and the yellow-brown jacket, and a pair of shoes that he wore as captured in the CCTV footage on the day of the attack.

“An identification parade was conducted and Momanyi positively identified the two as the ones who had attacked him. A third suspect who was also arrested led the detectives to the recovery of Momanyi’s two phones and a laptop, although he could not be directly linked to the two suspects,” DCI said.

Detectives at the Forensic Imaging and Acoustics unit retrieved the CCTV footage and, subjecting it to forensic analysis, confirmed that it was authentic and had not been tampered with.  With that conclusion, the thugs’ fate was sealed.

DCI further said that the sentence serves as a motivation to our officers who risk their lives every day, in guaranteeing the public safety and security of every Kenyan.