A hawker is facing charges of possession of public stores after he was found with military uniforms in Nairobi CBD.

Samuel Waithaka Kamau was accused of possessing 77 jungle jackets and 64 jungle trousers. He was also accused of being in possession of a pair of combat military uniform and a jungle sweater suspected to have been stolen or obtained unlawfully, on November 6 in Nairobi CBD.

Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Nairobi regional head offices, arrested him while on patrol on Thursday last week.

Appearing before magistrate Jane Kamau of Milimani law courts, Waithaka denied the charges saying he bought a bale of second-hand clothes at Gikomba market and found the military regalia inside.

He told the court that he reported the discovery to Nairobi Central police station boss who promised to visit him and oversee their destruction but DCI officers arrested him before the OCS could act.

Magistrate Jane Kamau freed Waithaka on a cash bail of Sh200,000 and an alternative Sh500,000 bond.

The prosecution hinted at dropping the charges after verifying the trader’s claims.