A house help has appealed to a Nairobi court for leniency after admitting to stealing a gold ring valued at Sh683,700 from her employer in Runda.
Violet Ndukwe confessed to the theft, explaining that her actions were driven by desperation due to her father’s deteriorating health. Tearfully, she pleaded, “I am asking the court and my employer for mercy and forgiveness. I took the ring and sold it for Sh4,000 because my father urgently needed medical care.”
Ndukwe appeared before Magistrate Rose Ndombi at the Milimani Law Courts, accompanied by her co-accused, Francis Mwema.
The court was informed that Ndukwe had stolen the ring from an Australian nurse residing in Runda. She then sold the ring to Mwema, a shopkeeper from Kawangware, whom she had been introduced to by a friend.
In her statement to the court, Ndukwe explained that she found the ring on her employer’s bedroom floor while cleaning and made the decision to sell it.
The prosecution revealed that Norah Michelle, the complainant, had come to Kenya with her two children to spend time with her family. Needing assistance with childcare, she hired Violet as a house help.
Ndukwe carried out her duties until August 1, 2024, when she requested permission to visit her children in Kawangware. Upon her return a few days later, Michelle noticed that the bag containing the gold ring was missing.
Her co-accused, Mwema, pleaded not guilty and requested to be released on bail, arguing that he was not a flight risk.
The court directed that a sentencing report be prepared, and granted the second accused a cash bail of KSh 500,000.
