MasenoA 20-year-old man has appeared before a Maseno court for allegedly stealing a carton of alcohol worth Sh7,000.
James Ongudi pleaded not guilty to the charges before Maseno resident magistrate Thomas Oulo.
He is alleged to have committed the crime on June 24 at an alcohol retail shop in Maseno township.
According to the prosecution, the accused used to work as a loader the Comrades Wines and Spirits shop when he committed the crime.
The court heard that Ongudi hid the carton of the alcohol while offloading from a supplies truck. When the owner, Moses Okumu, was taking stock of the delivered cartons, he noticed one missing. He tried enquiring from Ongudi but he was nowhere to be seen while his phone went unanswered.
Okumu launched a complaint with the Maseno police, where investigations were immediately launched.
The accused was arrested a day later selling the alcohol to traders at Lela market in Kisumu, the court was told.
Ongudi, however, told the court that he drinks alcohol and that the salary he receives is too little to buy alcohol, and therefore he decided to take the carton and he was planning to inform the employer that he deducts the cost from the salary, but he was not given ta chance to explain.
He was released on a cash bail of Sh5,000 with surety of a similar amount pending the hearing on August 20 this year.