A Kenyan citizen who forged an Emergency Certificate to travel from South Africa to Kenya in order to escape Xenophobic attacks following the arrest of Ex-President Jacob Zuma elicited laughter in court when he said he was not offered enough food at Capital hill Police Station.
Bishar Maulid Hassan told Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi that the food at the police station was not enough.
“Your honor I have not eaten enough food since Monday,” Bishar claimed.
“You mean you have not eaten anything?” The Chief Magistrate asked. “Your honor I only ate ugali and cabbage for lunch,” Bishar lamented.
“What of breakfast? the Chief Magistrate proded to which the accused replied stating that he was given tea and mandazi at the police station.
The Magistrate then told Bishar to be grateful for what he had.
Bishar is charged that on August 7, 2021 at Jomo kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi he was found using a forged emergency certificate purporting to have been issued by the Principal Immigration Officer in Pretoria South Africa a fact he knew to be false.
According to a probation report tabled in court Bashir claimed he used the forged document after his life was in danger following the xenophobia attacks and recent violence in South Africa sparked and by the arrest of the former President Jacob Zuma.
Biashar claims before the recent violence in South Africa he had been unfairly targeted by robbers who struck him with a piece of metal leaving a visible marks on his hand.
He stated that the insecurity in South Africa was so extreme that he could not leave the restaurant by name Tabakal in soweto South Africa where he worked because of safety concerns.
In the process of grappling to find a solution he was compelled to seek refuge elsewhere hence the decision to travel back to Kenya.
Biashar claims that it was outside the airport in Pretoria where out of desperation he was deluded into accepting the forged travel documents after his father took a loan to secure his air ticket.
Chief Magistrate Andayi while sentencing the accused said he has considered the mitigation and the probation report.
“The fact that your father took a loan to rescue you from the attack, I hope you will not escape and go back there. I hereby sentence you to a six months probation at Milimani area,” the magistrate ruled.
