A middle-aged man was sentenced to ten months imprisonment yesterday in a Machakos law court after he was found guilty of breaking into a neighbour’s house and stealing.
Daniel Nguki, 28, who appeared before resident magistrate Caroline Obara, pleaded guilty to the offence that was committed on February 1 this year in Kamara village, Yatta sub-county.
Nguki was reported to have broken into Mrs Jane Dikaa’s house where he stole household goods worth more than Sh5,000 and threatened to assault her.
The accused was reported to have committed the crime with crude weapons and threatened Dikaa’s life if she did not give her valuables he wanted.
While defending himself in court, Nguki said he was jobless and resorted to crime to fend for himself and his young family. He pleaded never to never repeat the crime if released.
Magistrate Obara rubbished his plea and told him there were thousands of jobless youths in the country but were they were not engaging in crime to make a living.
She said Nguki should serve as an example for other people who might be tempted to commit such crimes with the excuse of being jobless.
“Joblessness should not be an excuse for youths to engage in crime. There are very many ways to make a decent living without committing crime”, she said.
Obara said she was sending out a clear warning to anyone in the area with the intention of committing such a crime that the courts will take stern action against them.