Nairobi court grants thief a second chance after stealing train parts to feed his family
By Zipporah Ngwatu, January 8, 2026A Nairobi court has sentenced a 28-year-old man to a one-year sentence, but he will not go to jail unless he commits another crime within the 12 months.
Josphat Kamau Chege was charged with stealing, contrary to Section 268(1) as read with Section 275 of the Penal Code.
Kamau was caught in the process of stealing three metal grills from the Kenya Railways Corporation worth Ksh40,000.
“Josphat Kamau Chege, on January 4, 2026, at around 1500 hours at the Railways workshop within Nairobi County, stole three (3) radiator grills for a locomotive train valued at Ksh40,566, the property of Kenya Railways Corporation,” part of the charge sheet read.
Appearing before Milimani Chief Magistrate Dolphina Alego on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, the accused owned up to the crime and pleaded with the court to forgive him.
Kamau told the court that he was indeed caught with the metals, but he did not know that they were useful to the Kenya Railways Corporation.
“Mimi hizi vyuma zilikuwa mahali na zilikaa hazitumiki na nikachukua. Sikujua kama zinatumika, kwa hivyo naomba msamaha,” Kamau told the court.
During a pre-sentence hearing that was scheduled for Thursday, January 8, 2026, the prosecution informed the court that the report was not ready and asked that it be deferred to Monday, January 12, 2026.
However, the court did not defer the case. Instead, Magistrate Alego asked the accused whether it was his first offence, to which he responded that it was the first time he had been arrested and arraigned in court.
Further, Kamau again pleaded with the court to free him, noting that he has a wife and two children who depend on him and that they were not aware of his whereabouts since he was arrested.
“Niko na watoto wawili na mimi hufanya kazi ya kubeba nyanya marikiti; bibi yangu ni mama fua area ya Muthurwa. Nilikuwa naomba korti inisaidie kwa kuniachilia kwa sababu hiyo siku nilishikwa nilikuwa nimemwachia Ksh150 na hadi wa leo hawajui mahali niko,” Kamau told the court.
While sentencing the accused, Magistrate Alego stated that the court had considered his plea and predicament but issued a stern warning not to involve himself in crime again.
“The court herein considers your mitigation; you will serve a 12-month suspended sentence, and your mitigation has been equally considered. You have a right of appeal for 14 days,” Magistrate Alego ruled.
According to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), railway security officers guarding the workshop, while on routine patrol, heard some commotion.
The court heard that upon checking what was happening near the fence of the workshop, they spotted someone carrying metals wrapped in bedsheets.
“Your honour, after the security guards heard some commotion, they hid behind a tree and saw someone coming from the workshop carrying metals that were wrapped in bedsheets,” the prosecutor told the court.
The State told the court that when Kamau noticed the security officers pursuing him, he started running, but they managed to apprehend him.
The three metal grills were presented in court as exhibits, and the accused confirmed that they were indeed the items he had carried.