Two Lamu panga boys gang members jailed for five years

• The theft was discovered by the school watchman and reported by project foreman Dennis Samson Bakari at Siyu Police Post.

File image of a suspect in handcuffs behind bars.

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 Ksh.50,000.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) secured the conviction of Jaffar Mohamed, alias Fai, and Salim Abdallah, alias Kijana, for breaking into a classroom at Mtangawanda Primary School and committing a felony, contrary to Section 306(a) of the Penal Code.

Principal Magistrate Peter Wasike found the two guilty after Principal Prosecution Counsel Derrick Wawire presented six witnesses whose testimonies the court found consistent and credible, proving the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

The court heard that on December 26, 2025, at around 2am, the convicts broke into a classroom being used as a store and stole materials intended for a classroom construction project funded by the Safaricom Foundation.

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 convicts allegedly attempted to sell the grinder to a resident of Pate village, claiming they had taken it because they had not been paid for work. The resident declined the offer and reported the matter to the area chief.

On December 29, police officers in Faza intercepted the suspects as they boarded a matatu to Kizingitini, recovering some of the stolen materials. The suspects later led officers to Mbui bushes, where additional items concealed in sacks were found. The grinder was subsequently recovered in Pate.

The court dismissed their defence that they had been framed, citing their possession of recently stolen property and their role in recovering other items.

Probation reports described the two as violent youths linked to other housebreaking incidents. The court ruled them unsuitable for non-custodial sentences and ordered each to serve five years, effective from their respective arrest dates. They have 14 days to appeal.