Desperation or Theft? Man Who Stole Locomotive Parts Begs for Forgiveness
In mitigation, he pleaded with the court for forgiveness, claiming that he thought the said grills were unusable, indicating that poverty triggered him to commit the offence.
A man who has confessed to stealing three radiator grills for a locomotive valued at Ksh 40,000 has asked the court to forgive him, saying he committed the offence out of poverty.
Josephat Kamau Chege appeared before the Milimani Chief Magistrate, Dolphina Alego, and admitted committing the offence that occurred on January 4, 2026.
According to the charge sheet, Kamau, at around 1500 hrs on January 4, this year, at a Railway workshop within Nairobi County, stole three radiator grills for a locomotive train, valued at Ksh 40.566, the property of Kenya Railways Corporation.
The court heard that two security guards operating the gate to the locomotive area saw the accused carrying the said grills wrapped in a bedsheet, arrested him, and handed him over to the police.
In mitigation, he pleaded with the court for forgiveness, claiming that he thought the said grills were unusable, indicating that poverty triggered him to commit the offence.
The court considered the mitigation and urged the officer investigating the matter to produce a pre-sentence report before delivering the sentence on January 8, 2026.
