A 27-year-old man charged with stealing three Bible books at Naivas Supermarket claims he committed the offence to help his mother who is admitted to a hospital in Tanzania.
Alex Muiruri Ngadayo is alleged to have committed the offence on January 23, 2022 at Naivas Supermarket.
During the shoplifting, Alex is alleged to have stolen three copies of Revised Standard Holy Bible books worth Ksh3,240.
He pleaded guilty before Nairobi Chief Magistrate Wendy Micheni and pleaded for leniency.
“Your honour, I stole because my mother is admitted at a hospital in Tanzania and she needs my help,” Alex told the magistrate.
However, the magistrate questioned the prosecutor on why there is rampant theft of the Bible in Naivas Supermarket.
“Why is the Bible theft at Naivas Supermarket increasing and yet there are other commodities one can steal?” the magistrate asked the prosecutor.
In response, State counsel Anderson Gikunda told the court that there are Bible hawkers outside the supermarket whom they suspect are benefitting from the theft.
According to a Police report seen by K24 Digital, the accused was arrested by the supermarket Loss Control Manager after he was captured on CCTV footage while hiding the three Bible books under his shirt.
During mitigation, the accused told the court that he lost his job at a construction company and that his children and wife depend on him.
The magistrate ordered a pre-sentencing report to be filed in court before February 9, 2022 when the accused will be handed jail term.
