Alvin Chivondo: Shoplifter bailed out by Sonko arraigned after being caught stealing, again

Appearing before a Nairobi court on Monday, Chivondo was also charged with being in possession of Cannabis Sativa with a street value of Ksh.2,000 shillings.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Chivondo was arrested in May Naivas Supermarket on Ronald Ngala street attempting to steal maize flour and thereafter detained at Central Police Station.

He had in April been convicted by a Nairobi Court after pleading guilty to shoplifting charges levelled against him and was ordered to pay a Ksh.100,000 fine or serve one-year imprisonment.

At the time, he had been caught stealing 5 kgs of rice, honey, tea leaves, and sugar; all totalling Ksh.3,165 from a Naivas supermarket.

Following public uproar that condemned the sentencing terming it as 'harsh', citing the fact that the man was only trying to feed his family, political leaders came out to defend Chivondo.

ODM leader Raila Odinga took to Twitter then to call for his release saying: “Let the courts get their priorities right, for once, you can't jail a man for trying to feed his family.”

After overseeing the release of the shoplifter from Industrial Area Prison, Sonko went further to give him one month’s worth of shopping as well as a job offer at his Upper Hill offices.

“We’ve offered Alvin Chivondo a job at our Upper Hill offices and our team in the office has shown him what his job entails. Am happy the young man is now free. It's my hope he will be a responsible man,” Sonko said then.