The High Court has upheld the six-year prison sentence handed to former Kenya Sevens rugby player Alex Olaba, dismissing his appeal against a conviction for attempting to kill a witness in a gang-rape case.
In its ruling, the court affirmed that Olaba’s conviction was well-founded, citing compelling evidence that established a clear conspiracy to commit murder. The evidence included recorded conversations detailing the plot and proof of a Ksh.10,000 down payment, with an agreement to pay Ksh.100,000 once the act was carried out.
“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,” the court noted in its judgment.
The judge further observed that the trial court had fully considered Olaba’s defense and mitigation before imposing the sentence. “The sentence in all counts to run concurrently is fair,” the ruling concluded.
Olaba was convicted and sentenced on May 24, 2023, after being found guilty of plotting to eliminate a witness linked to a gang-rape case in which he was previously accused.
