By Patience Gondo
A Midlands State University (MSU) final-year student has been jailed for 17 years after a court found him guilty of allegedly aiding armed robbers who raided premises he was guarding and escaped with US$238,000 in December 2023.
Owen Muteeri, 28, was employed as a security guard when the robbery occurred.
Prosecutors told the court that he intentionally assisted the gang by enabling access to the property before the robbers fled with the cash.
The State said that his conduct pointed to inside involvement, leading to his conviction.
Muteeri however said that he had been handcuffed and forced to comply under duress.
He said he freed himself shortly after the attackers left and immediately reported the incident, including the money that the robbers failed to remove.
Despite this, investigators said his explanation was inconsistent with the evidence and charged him with complicity.
The court sided with the prosecution, resulting in the 17-year custodial sentence delivered this week.
His family has since filed an urgent High Court appeal, insisting that he had no prior criminal record, no known links to the offenders and no motive to participate in the robbery. Relatives say his academic record and clean background were not adequately considered during sentencing.
The High Court is expected to determine the appeal in the coming days.