A man has been charged with robbery with violence after he was found with documents belonging to a female Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) who was robbed in a matatu.
Elijah Mwita Maroa is accused of robbing KDF Sergeant Mary Asoyo of a handbag, a blouse, an umbrella and a shawl in Starehe sub county on January 14.
Asoyo also lost her KDF identification card and a mobile phone. All the items are valued at Sh19,200.
The court heard SGT Asoyo had boarded a matatu in Huruma heading to Nairobi where she was to board another matatu to the Department of Defence (DoD) Headquarters in Hurlingham area of Nairobi where she is stationed.
Along the journey, three men who were posing as passengers in the matatu brandished a knife and robbed her of the handbag which contained the items.
Her pleas to the matatu conductor not to allow the men to alight fell on deaf ears. The thugs alighted from the matatu along Juja road after some distance.
SGT Asoyo also alighted and walked back to Huruma. The following day, she filed a report at the Kilimani Police Station and investigations commenced.
General Service Unit (GSU) officers arrested Elijah Mwita Maroa on January 16 at City Park. He was allegedly in possession of KDF’s men’s overall. Upon a search, the officers also recovered the soldier’s certificate of appointment.
The suspect was escorted to the Parklands police station before he was handed over to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Starehe offices.
Maroa is facing an additional charge of being in possession of public stores, where he is accused of having a KDF’s men’s overall at the time of his arrest at City Park in Parklands, Nairobi.
He is also accused of handling stolen property after he was allegedly found with Ms Asoyo’s KDF identification card.
Appearing before Senior Resident Magistrate Mercy Malingu of Makadara Law Courts, the accused denied the charges.
Through his lawyer Alice Maina, the suspect pleaded for lenient bond terms saying he is jobless.
The court released him on a bond of Sh500, 000 without an option of cash bail.
The case will be mentioned on February 27 before hearing starts on March 20 this year.
