Wajir court sentences two to death for violent robbery of boda boda rider
Key points
- Death sentences for Abdiaziz Ali Ahmed (“Odi”) and Abdiwahab Mohamed Hassan (“Steam Boy”) under robbery with violence ss. 295/296(2).
- Attack: 13 Nov 2025 ~9:30pm, Baraza Park Road, Wajir Township, on rider Nesiah Thuranira Mwenda.
- Loot: Tecno Pop 8 (~Sh30,000) plus M-Pesa withdrawals/transfers after forced PIN (about Sh15,000 targeted).
- Phone later recovered at first accused’s mother’s place; appeal window 14 days.
Wajir’s Senior Principal Magistrate Eric Malesi handed down the law’s hardest robbery penalty: death sentences for two men convicted of a night ambush on a boda boda rider, Eastleigh Voice reported.
Convicted: Abdiaziz Ali Ahmed (alias Odi) and Abdiwahab Mohamed Hassan (alias Steam Boy), on robbery with violence under sections 295 and 296(2) of the Penal Code. The court said three prosecution witnesses and exhibits proved the case beyond reasonable doubt after the men gave sworn defence without calling witnesses.
How the ambush was described
On 13 November 2025 about 9:30pm, rider Nesiah Thuranira Mwenda was on Baraza Park Road when two men posed as passengers. About five others poured from a corridor. Knives out, they stole a Tecno Pop 8 phone valued at about Sh30,000, then frogmarched him to an M-Pesa shop run by Josephat Kimathi, forced his PIN and pulled cash — about Sh10,000 out before he could stop further cash, with another Sh5,000 forced onto a mobile number. Police said that number used the first accused’s sister’s ID details without her knowledge; the phone turned up with the first accused’s mother. Both women declined to testify; investigators put the paper trail in instead.
Death remains the statute’s sentence for this offence class even as appellate practice and presidential mercy shape real outcomes. The convicts were told they have 14 days to appeal.
What northern riders need beyond a verdict
Lit street lighting on boda corridors, faster M-Pesa freeze tools after forced PIN, and gang case linkage across counties. Crime desk: Crime.
County security teams should publish monthly robbery-with-violence clear-up rates. Agents need a public protocol for hostage-style PIN coercion so the next rider is not left alone at the till with knives behind him.
Based on Eastleigh Voice reporting of the Wajir court judgment. Appeals and any sentence review will update the legal position.
