By STEPHEN MWEWA
The Kasama Magistrates’ Court has sentenced a-41-year-old security guard entrusted with safe-guarding bags of maize at the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) depot in Kasama, to one year imprisonment with hard labour for stealing 74 x 50 kg bags of maize.
John Kangwa who pleaded guilty of the charged on Monday when he appeared before the court for plea, was charged with theft for stealing bags of maize valued at K11,100.
The incident occurred on August 20th 2021 while he was on duty at the depot.
In mitigation, Kangwa pleaded with the court to exercise leniency saying he had three grade nine children whom he had not yet paid their school fees and that if sent to a correctional facility, they would suffer.
However, Magistrate Joe Samboko said he had considered the mitigation from the convict and that he had exercised his utmost leniency by sending Kangwa to jail for one year, owing to the fact that on the other hand he had lost his employment as a result of theft.
Meanwhile, the state applied to discontinue the matter for Gift Bubala 22, a loader who was jointly charged with in the same matter.
Earlier, Bubala pleaded not guilty to the charge, before the state applied for the discontinuation of the matter pursuant to section 88 of the Criminal Procedural Code.
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