LAMU, Kenya – Two members of the notorious Panga Boys gang have been sentenced to five years in prison each for breaking into a public primary school in Lamu East and stealing construction materials worth Sh50,000.
Jaffar Mohamed, alias Fai, and Salim Abdallah, alias Kijana, were convicted of breaking into a classroom at Mtangawanda Primary School and committing a felony, contrary to Section 306(a) of the Penal Code.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) said Principal Magistrate Peter Wasike handed down the sentences after finding that the prosecution had proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
Principal Prosecution Counsel Derrick Wawire presented six witnesses whose evidence the court found consistent and credible.
The court heard that the two broke into a classroom being used as a store at around 2am on December 26, 2025, and stole materials intended for a classroom construction project funded by the Safaricom Foundation.
Stolen Materials Recovered After Arrest
The stolen items included 11 containers of Super Gloss paint, a grinder, scrapers, paintbrushes, rollers, 10 rolls of electrical installation tape and sandpaper.
The theft was discovered by the school watchman and reported by project foreman Dennis Samson Bakari at Siyu Police Post.
Two days later, the court heard, the suspects attempted to sell the grinder to Muhsin Nadhir in Pate village, claiming they had taken it because they had not been paid for work.
Nadhir declined the offer and reported the matter to the area chief.
On December 29, police officers in Faza intercepted the two as they boarded a matatu to Kizingitini. Officers recovered four litres of paint, brushes, rollers and electrical tapes.
Following their arrest, the suspects led police to Mbui bushes, where additional stolen items concealed in sacks were recovered. The grinder was later found in Pate.
Court Rejects Suspects’ Defence
In their defence, Mohamed and Abdallah told the court they had been arrested while travelling to visit an aunt and had been framed by police.
However, the court dismissed their claims as a mere denial, citing their possession of recently stolen property and their role in leading officers to other recovered items.
Probation reports presented before sentencing described the two as violent youths with a history of terrorising residents of Lamu East and Pate. The reports also linked them to several housebreaking incidents.
The reports informed the court’s assessment of whether the convicts were suitable for non-custodial sentences.
Court Rules Out Non-Custodial Sentences
Although the two pleaded for leniency, saying they were breadwinners, the court found them unsuitable for non-custodial sentences and considered them a danger to the community.
Magistrate Wasike sentenced each to five years in prison, with the terms running from their respective dates of arrest.
The court granted the convicts 14 days to appeal against their convictions and sentences.
The case involved construction materials intended for a school project supported by the Safaricom Foundation, with the court’s ruling concluding the trial over the break-in and theft.
