Seven years each for two men in Jomvu police AK-47 theft case
Key points
- Pius Oketch and Kellas Wanyonyi each received effective seven-year prison terms after conviction over the theft of a police AK-47 with 30 rounds at Bonje Industrial Park, Jomvu.
- PC James Kobia was on night guard with private security when attackers took the rifle; a guard also lost a mobile phone that later helped investigators.
- Police arrested Wanyonyi three days later; he led officers to Oketch’s Narcol Estate home, where Oketch was found in the ceiling and the gun, magazine and all 30 rounds were recovered in a sack.
- Magistrate Hamlick Muriithi Mwenda rejected framing claims after hearing 17 prosecution witnesses; convicts have 14 days to appeal.
Night shift at Bonje Industrial Park in Jomvu ended with a police rifle missing and two men later walking into a Mombasa courtroom — a sequence Senior Resident Magistrate Hamlick Muriithi Mwenda has now closed with concurrent terms that leave each convict facing seven years behind bars, Eastleigh Voice reported.
Pius Oketch and Kellas Wanyonyi were convicted for their roles in the robbery that stripped Police Constable James Kobia of his AK-47, loaded with 30 rounds, while he worked alongside private guards. One guard also lost a mobile phone. Principal Prosecution Counsel Godfrey Ngigi, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, argued the chain of evidence tied both men to the plot and the recovery.
Phone lead, ceiling hideout and concurrent terms
Investigators said a breakthrough came when one stolen phone was answered, generating leads on people connected to the raid. Prosecutors told the court Wanyonyi had gathered casual workers with a story about night loading jobs at the park before the group moved on the premises. Wanyonyi was arrested three days after the attack and later led police to Oketch’s home in Narcol Estate. Officers found Oketch concealed in the ceiling; the stolen firearm, magazine and all 30 rounds were recovered from a sack on the premises.
Oketch faced conspiracy to commit a felony, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of government stores, drawing separate terms of between two and seven years that the court ordered to run concurrently for an effective seven-year sentence. Wanyonyi was convicted of conspiracy and also received seven years. The magistrate dismissed claims that officers framed the pair, finding no personal hostility or fabricated exhibits, and held that evidence from 17 prosecution witnesses proved the case beyond reasonable doubt. Both men were told they have 14 days to appeal. Crime desk: Crime. Verified names, weapon load, recovery facts and sentence structure from Eastleigh Voice; any further co-accused remain outside this judgment’s public summary.
For industrial-park operators and night guards along the Mombasa corridor, the file underlines why lost phones and quick follow-up matter as much as perimeter lights — the court record turned a answered handset into a path from ambush to conviction.
Based on Eastleigh Voice court reporting (Farhiya Hussein, 10 August 2026). Convictions stand subject to appeal within the stated period.
