Judge Pardons Couple Who Stole Out Of Hunger, Supports Them With Funds

Vincent Adet, a Senior Principal Magistrate in Kenya’s Mombasa law courts, has pardoned a woman, Saumu Ali and her husband, Evans Odhiambo who were arrested for stealing a bale of wheat flour, and has also secured funds to provide meals for the family.

The couple was accused of stealing flour worth Ksh.1,980 from Grain Industries Ltd on April 13 in Shimanzi, Mvita, in violation of section 268 (1) of the penal code as read with section 275.

The couple pled guilty to the charges in April, telling the court that they took the wheat flour to feed their children after they had gone without food for many days.

Ali said she was working her regular job when her husband summoned her to assist him in carrying a bale of flour from a nearby car.

She pled for mercy, saying she just stole to feed her children and swore she would never steal again.

Odhiambo, for his part, claimed to be a scrap metal dealer who had lost his job as a result of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s scrap metal prohibition. He admitted that in order to provide for his children, he had to steal food.

Principal Magistrate Vincent Adet pardoned the accused on Wednesday, May 11, after considering the probation report filed before his court by the probation officer.

The judge said, “On humanitarian grounds, especially for the first accused person, I have considered the circumstances under which the offence was committed and I sympathize with her situation, with three kids under her care and no source of income and am of the view that let buy her a bale of wheat flour and some meat for today.”

The judge also encouraged members of the public, media, and court officials in attendance to donate any amount for Saumu’s food fund, and kicked off the effort by donating Ksh.1000.