Court frees hawker who ordered meal at Java and failed to pay
A Nairobi hawker on Tuesday tickled his way out of a courtroom by pleading guilty to ordering a meal that he could not afford at a high-end city restaurant.
While releasing him, Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi even joked that the accused, Michael Masinga Ambatsa, must have vowed to eat at the high-end restaurant before his death, even if he couldn’t afford it.
“Ambatsa, yaani uliamua lazima ukule Java kabla ufe,” the magistrate posed as the courtroom burst into laughter.
According to court documents, Ambatsa walked into Java Restaurant – Kimathi Street branch on Monday, December 16, 2019 and ordered for chicken, chips and a litre of juice, but failed to pay a bill of Sh1,310.
Appearing before the court on Tuesday, the accused confessed that indeed he ordered for and ate a meal worth Sh1,310 at the establishment but could not pay the bill.
He told the magistrate that he regretted his action.
“I admit that I made a stupid mistake ordering a meal and drink that I wasn’t in a position to pay for,” Ambatsa pleaded in court.
According to the prosecution, waiters pursued him before he was arrested and booked at Central Police Station.
Magistrate Andayi freed Ambatsa “for being honest” but warned him against repeating the same offense.