Robbery, rape suspect sent victim Sh200 to meet him on a date

From right Kevin Matundura, Josephine Waihuni and Joram Njoroge in Nakuru law court on February 14,2018 when they appeared to answer robbery with violence and rape charges. [Photo:Kipsang Joseph/Standard]

A daring robbery with violence suspect blew his cover when he sent his female victim Sh200 to go on a date with him, a court heard yesterday.

Kevin Matundura, charged alongside two others, is said to have sent a text message to the victim apologising for the gang’s deeds.

Mr Matundura and his co-accused, Josephine Waihuini and Joram Njoroge, spent hours at the victim’s home in Bahati, Nakuru County, on the night of March 14, 2017, the court heard.

Their long stay saw Matundura start a conversation with his victim, a daughter of the owner of the home they had attacked.

Armed with a machine gun and a pistol, Matundura and his co-accused held the family hostage for more than eight hours.

“We spent time together and from where I lay between a table and a chair, I could hear Matundura conversing with (name withheld). He asked her name and whether she had a phone and they exchanged contacts,” said a brother of the victim while testifying in court.

Sewing machine

The gang left the home at around 5am and made away with, among other things, a sewing machine motor, 10 bags of dry maize, a Samsung mobile phone, assorted clothes and shoes and a motor rolling machine.

They also drove away in a car belonging to the home owner.

The court heard that after the raid, Matundura sent a text message to the woman, whom he is alleged to have sexually assaulted, apologising for the gang’s deeds.

In the text message, the man allegedly told her where the family could find their vehicle.

The witness said his sister received a text message from Matundura asking whether she could find time for the two to meet.

“(Name witheld) showed me a text message sent to her by Matundura that morning informing her where their father’s car, together with the keys, were. In the message, he went further to apologise for what had happened that night. The man also asked her if she could find time to meet him.”

He said his sister agreed to meet the accused and even received Sh200 from him as fare from Kiti to Nakuru town after she told him that she did not have money for bus fare.

The witness also told the court he was aware of the meeting between his sister and the accused but did not know exactly where they planned to meet.

Following their arrest, Matundura and Njoroge were charged with gang rape.

Crime particulars

Particulars of the crime indicated that on March 14, 2017, jointly with others not in court, the two intentionally and unlawfully raped the woman.

The witness told the court that the robbers took away Sh1,800, proceeds from an eatery they operated at home, and an additional unknown amount of money collected from a posho mill the family operated. The gang only managed to get Sh100 from his father.

He said the robbers demanded Sh40,000 from his father.

“Old man you can give us Sh40,000 and we will leave you alive. If you don’t have money give us your M-Pesa and ATM PINs,” he said.

His father refused to comply with the demands but the robbers insisted they would not leave without money and picked a home theatre system, which they estimated to be worth Sh30,000. They also picked a water dispenser and a motor from the posho mill.

The robbers allegedly fought over the music system as one wanted to go with the speakers and the other claimed other parts of the system.

The gang is then said to have offered the witness a pillow and covered him with a blanket as they deliberated over what to eat.

The gang considered slaughtering a chicken but then settled on tea because cooking the chicken would have taken a long time.

The witness said he could see the men as they switched the lights on and off.

The hearing continues on March 28.