Man slapped with 20-year jail term for shooting Kenya Power staff with arrow

A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting a Kenya Power staffer with an arrow while on official duty.

While appearing before the Kithimani Magistrate's court, Kioko Kavita was said to have shot Esau Ogutu Mbadi on June 7, 2024, at Kithendu village in Yatta Sub-County in Machakos County.

According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Mbadi was among the Kenya Power staff assigned to prune trees that had encroached on power facilities at the village when Kavita attacked him.

The officers are said to have arrived at Kavita's home when they saw an avocado tree, which was believed to have caused the persistent power outage in the area since it was interfering with fuses.

However, Kavita threatened to attack anyone attempting to cut down the tree as the officers maintained they would not leave until they brought it down.

"This is when the accused ran into his house and came back with bows and arrows. He retreated a few steps and shot the complainant with an arrow on the right side of the abdomen," the ODPP wrote.

Mbadi was later taken to Matuu level 4 Hospital, where a surgery to remove the arrow was conducted.

In his ruling, Principal Magistrate P. Wechuli noted that testimonies from witnesses prove that Kavita attempted to murder the complainant.

“His overt act of willfully and carefully placing an arrow on a bow and shooting at the complainant means that he was in the process of killing the complainant. His actions do not amount to a mere preparation to commit the offence; he had put his plans in motion before he was restrained and his bow broken,” ruled Hon. Wechuli.

“The accused had let his tree interfere with the said power line, thus affecting the entire village. For him to turn around and attack the complainant so viciously is unfortunate and barbaric, and he deserves a deterrent sentence."

Magistrate Wechuli added that based on the evidence, Kavita would have shot another arrow had he not been restrained.

He will now serve 20 years behind bars after the court factored in the time he spent in custody.