By Andrew Kariuki
The High Court has upheld the six year prison sentence handed to former Kenya Sevens rugby player Alex Olaba for attempting to murder a key witness in a previous gang rape case.
In its ruling, the court dismissed Olaba’s appeal in its entirety, finding that the trial magistrate had properly evaluated the evidence and reached a sound conviction.
The judge ruled that the prosecution had successfully proved that Olaba conspired to have the witness killed, citing recorded phone conversations and a Ksh 10,000 down payment to an undercover officer posing as a hitman.
“The evidence clearly showed that the appellant engaged in discussions to facilitate the murder, which were corroborated by a police operation involving an officer acting as a hired killer,” the court stated.
The judge further observed that the trial court had duly considered Olaba’s defence and mitigation before sentencing him and that the six year imprisonment term to run concurrently on all counts — was fair and proportionate.
“The sentence was neither harsh nor excessive in the circumstances,” the ruling read in part.
The decision brings to an end Olaba’s appeal, affirming his conviction for plotting to kill a prosecution witness in a case linked to an earlier sexual offence matter.
