Joseph Mwangi, the 32-year-old man who was recently arrested for being in possession of uncustomed ethanol, has been sentenced to one year in jail.
Mwangi pleaded guilty to the offense at the Kibera Law Courts hence the fast sentencing.
In a ruling delivered by Senior Resident Magistrate Charles Mwaniki on Thursday, the accused was given an option of a paying Sh250,000 fine or serve the jail term.
Mwangi was found carrying 25 drums of ethanol in a lorry that he was driving.
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The lorry was intercepted in Ruaka, Kiambu County, by detectives from the Special Service Unit who had been tipped off.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the drums that were full to the brim with the chemical compound, had been concealed using 50 sacks of maize, to create a false impression that he was transporting maize.
In his ruling, the magistrate ordered that the 5,000 litres of ethanol be forfeited to the state, through the Kenya Revenue Authority who shall be at liberty to dispose it and recover the unpaid taxes.
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“We congratulate the court for the fast and judicious judgment since the ethanol could also go a along way in making the government free sanitizers,” DCI said in a statement on Friday.
The impounded lorry, DCI said, shall be released to its owner and the maize given to the accused.
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