Mangochi First Grade Magistrate Court has convicted and sentenced a Rwandese national by the name of Rukundu Amiabo for reckless driving contrary to Section 126(1) 4(b) of the Road Traffic Act.
The convict was then ordered by the court to pay 1.2 Million Kwacha fine or in default to serve 96 months imprisonment with hard labour.
Sub inspector Maxwell Mwaluka, a Prosecutor at Mangochi Police Station told the court that on May 27, 2017 about 1900hrs the accused person was driving a Toyota Hilux pick-up registration number BS 3707 from Mangochi to Monkey-Bay with six passengers on board. Upon arrival at St. Augustine 3 Primary School, he lost control of the vehicle due to speeding. The car then swerved to the other side of the road where it hit a cyclist.
The Prosecutor added that following the impact, all six passengers aboard the vehicle fell down from the moving motor vehicle. The passengers and the cyclist sustained deep cuts in the head and multiple bruises on both legs and were rushed to Mangochi District Hospital for treatment. The accused person escaped with minor injuries.
As such, the Prosecutor pleaded for a stiffer penalty on the accused since he didn’t follow road safety measures and ended up endangering people’s lives in the process.
In his submission, his worship First Grade Magistrate Ronald M’bwana concurred with the state as the accused person had indeed not followed road safety measures which made him endanger people’s lives.
Therefore, the Magistrate ordered the accused to pay a K1.2 million fine or in default to serve 96 months imprisonment with hard labour in order to serve as a lesson to others who drive recklessly.
The accused person paid the fine.
Rukundu, 25, comes from Rwanda but currently resides at Ntanga, in Traditional Authority Chimwala’s area in Mangochi.
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