The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has secured five-year prison sentences for two members of the Panga Boys gang convicted of breaking into a public primary school in Lamu East and stealing construction materials worth Ksh50,000.
Jaffar Mohamed alias Fai and Salim Abdallah alias Kijana were convicted of breaking into a classroom at Mtangawanda Primary School and committing a felony, contrary to Section 306(a) of the Penal Code.
Principal Prosecution Counsel Derrick Wawire presented six witnesses whose evidence Principal Magistrate Peter Wasike found consistent and credible, proving the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The court heard that on 26th December 2025, at about 2am, the convicts broke into a classroom being used as a store and stole construction materials intended for a classroom construction project funded by the Safaricom Foundation.
The stolen items included 11 containers of Super Gloss paint, a grinder, scrapers, paintbrushes, rollers, 10 rolls of electrical installation tape and sandpaper.
The theft was discovered by the school watchman and reported by project foreman Dennis Samson Bakari at Siyu Police Post.
On 28th December, court heard that the two attempted to sell the grinder to Muhsin Nadhir in Pate village, claiming they had taken it because they had not been paid for work. Nadhir declined the offer and reported the matter to the area chief.
The following day, police officers in Faza intercepted the suspects as they boarded a matatu to Kizingitini, recovering four litres of paint, brushes, rollers and electrical tapes.
Following their arrest, the two led police to Mbui bushes, where additional stolen items concealed in sacks were recovered. The grinder was later recovered in Pate.
In their defence, the accused claimed they had been arrested while travelling to visit an aunt and had been framed by police. However, the court dismissed their claims as a mere denial, citing their possession of recently stolen property and their role in leading police to other recovered items.
Probation reports presented before sentencing described the two as violent youths with a history of terrorising residents of Lamu East and Pate and linked them to several housebreaking incidents.
Although they pleaded for leniency, saying they were breadwinners, the court found them unsuitable for non-custodial sentences and a danger to the community.
Wasike sentenced each to five years in prison, effective from their respective dates of arrest. They were granted 14 days to appeal against their conviction and sentence.
