Motorist that killed pupil at a zebra crossing near Lang’ata barracks released after paying Sh70,000 fine

NAIROBI,Kenya, Aug 18 – Rodgers Omondi a motorist who was accused of knocking down and killing a pupil at a zebra crossing near the Lang’ata barracks in 2019 is a free man, a Nairobi court has ruled.

Omondi was on 2019 arrested after he hit the pupil while crossing the road.

According to documents presented in court, on the fateful day, the accused allegedly refused to stop in order to allow school going children to cross the road, this as other motorists adhered to the road traffic rules.

He had been charged with causing death of the juvenile by dangerous driving.

Omondi allegedly refused to stop knocking down the child who succumbed to his injuries. Another child was also injured during the incident.

On Wednesday however appearing before senior principal magistrate Philip Mutua at the Kibera law courts, the accused was released and directed to pay a fine of Sh70,000.

In his ruling, Mutua directed Omondi to pay Sh50,000 as fine for killing the juvenile aged seven years old, and Sh20,000 for causing grievous harm to another pupil also crossing the road on the fateful day.

The ruling had also provided an alternative where Omondi could have possibly served a one year jail term in the first count of causing death and six months jail term for injuring the survivor.

Investigators probing the matter expressed frustrations over the ruling intimating that they could possibly appeal the court’s ruling.

Interestingly though Omondi who sought the court’s leniency is said to have at first admitted to the charges,only to later change his plea by denying the accusations and then before finally admitting to them again.