Court Upholds Six-Year Jail Term for Ex-Rugby Player Alex Olaba in Attempted Murder Case

The High Court has upheld the six-year prison sentence handed to former Kenya Sevens rugby player Alex Olaba for attempting to kill a witness in a gang-rape case

In its ruling, the court dismissed Olaba’s appeal, affirming that his conviction was sound and supported by substantial evidence.

The prosecution demonstrated that Olaba conspired to commit murder through recorded conversations and a Ksh.10,000 down payment, with an agreement to pay Ksh.100,000 upon completion of the act

“I found from the evidence that PW2 met PW3 and discussed the commission of the offence, which had been previously discussed with the appellant. PW3 was a police officer disguised as a hitman,” read part of the judgment

The court noted that the trial judge had considered Olaba’s defense and mitigation before sentencing, terming the six-year concurrent jail term fair and appropriate

 Also read : Police Launch Probe After Grade Five Pupil Found Brutally Murdered in Kinangop

Olaba was convicted and sentenced on May 24, 2023, for attempting to murder a key witness in a rape case in which he was a co-accused

The decision marks yet another legal setback for the former athlete, who had sought to overturn his conviction and sentence

Writer : Mweru Mbugua