A 55-year-old welder accused of robbery with violence has been sentenced to a 210-year jail term after being found guilty of more than five charges by an Eldoret court.
Humphrey Shilisia’s co-accused among them his wife Amina Melisi and David Gazemba were acquitted of the robbery with violence charges for lack of evidence.
Eldoret Senior Principal Magistrate Naomi Wairimu ordered that the sentence runs concurrently, meaning the accused person will serve 50 years in prison.
The charge against the three accused persons stated that on June 20, 2020, at Wales estate in Kapseret sub-county, Uasin Gishu county, while armed with dangerous weapon they robbed Gladys Rotich of Ksh6,000.
Shilisia was separately charged that on the same date and place, he raped the said Gladys after stealing Ksh6,000 from her mobile phone.
The three were further charged that on the same date and place, they violently robbed Yulita Mitei of property worth Ksh19,300
They were also charged that on the same date and place, they robbed Moses Rotich of Ksh76, 800 while threatening to use actual violence against him.
The accused persons were further charged that on the same date and place, they violently robbed Gilbert Murei of Ksh4,800.
While giving her evidence against Shilisia, the complainant, narrated how the attackers stormed into their house at night while wielding a torch.
She said the first accused person sent Ksh6,000 from her phone and after he had transferred the money from her husband’s phone, he ordered him to go under the bed.
“He then ordered that I go out with him while brandishing a panga on my neck and raped me.
"After the ordeal, he asked for car keys and when I told him that I did not know how to drive, he let me back to the house and closed the door and left,” recounted the complainant.
Accused denies robbery charges
In his statement, the first accused person said that on the July 20, 2020, he woke up to go to his welding job and that on his way back, he stopped to have some music loaded into his USB.
He stated that two police officers from Langas Police Station stopped him on the way and he complied.
According to the convict, the officers then asked him to take him to his house to carry out a search for a gun and that while in the house, they took a home theatre, TV, and Gas cylinder before arresting his wife.
The second accused, in his defense, told the court that he was charged with the robbery with violence offense after he refused to comply with the arresting officer’s directives to implicate someone else in the matter.
“I was framed up with charges of robbery with violence after I refused to implicate someone else with the capital offense,” said Gazemba.
While sentencing the first accused, the trial magistrate stated that it was beyond reasonable doubt that indeed the complainant, Gladys was robbed as alleged.
“Also from the medical doctor’s report, it shows that the complainant was indeed raped,” ruled the magistrate.
