Chikwawa man sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for robbery

Malawi - Wyson Kamwendo, 36, from Msewa Village Traditional Authority Mphuka in Thyolo District, has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour for the offence of robbery, writes Comfort Bulangete.

According to Sergeant Dickson Matemba, Public Relations officer for Chikwawa Police Station, the court heard from State Prosecutor Sergeant Emmanuel Namarwa from Chikwawa Police Station that Kamwendo, along with three accomplices who are still at large, robbed his uncle, a businessman at Nkhate Trading Centre, of K10 million on the night of January 4, 2023.

"When appearing in court, Kamwendo pleaded not guilty for the count of robbery which is contrary to section 301 of the penal code," Matemba explained.

However, the state prosecutor paraded five witnesses who testified against him beyond a reasonable doubt.

In his submission, Sergeant Namwara asked the court to slap the convict with a stiff sentence, citing that the behaviour shown by the convict was very dangerous to the community considering that he robbed his real uncle.

He further added that the stolen money was not recovered, hence the loss to the victim.

In his mitigation, Kamwendo asked the court for a lenient custodial sentence saying he has a family to look after.

When delivering his ruling, First Grade Magistrate Gladstone Chilundu concurred with the state and sentenced the convict to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour to deter other would-be offenders.

The sentence was welcomed by the victim's family and the community, who expressed satisfaction with the verdict.

"We are happy that justice has been served. It was a traumatic experience for our family, and we hope this will deter others from committing such crimes," said a family member who preferred anonymity.